Billie Hess, right, hugs Jennifer Brauch Friday near the Chickamauga Dam marina. Hess’ son, Jimmy Hess, had been missing since he fell from a sailboat Tuesday, but his body was recovered.
Jimmy Hess was missing after falling from a sailboat near the Chickamauga Dam.
Contributed PhotoWhile the Hamilton County medical examiner’s report shows Jimmy Hess drowned accidentally, his father doesn’t think that’s the whole story.
“I don’t think he ‘just drowned.’ He was on the water a lot, and he was a very good swimmer,” said 80-year-old Billie Hess. “There were three other people there who could have helped him.”
Jimmy Hess, 37, drowned in Chickamauga Lake near Gold Point Marina after falling off a sailboat on June 14 death, according to police reports. He did not surface until three days later, when a recovery team pulled him from the water.
The three other people on the boat at the time were Robert Boyd, Julie West and Shawn Russell — who owns the boat, according to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency investigator Brian Letner, who just finished wrapping up the initial investigation into the case.
TWRA investigators plan to meet with the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office this week to discuss the possibility of pressing charges in the case, Letner said. There are conflicting stories about what happened on the sailboat that night, he explained.