Officers and rescue personnel prepare to search for Waylon Farless, who escaped from Moccasin Bend Mental Health Facility. Witnesses saw Farless in the middle of the river, struggling before he became submerged.Police concluded the water search for a man who escaped a local mental health facility by leaping into the Tennessee River on Wednesday. The man remains missing more than 24 hours after witnesses say they saw him sink in the water.
But good news surfaced in a separate, alcohol-fueled river incident when police located a 27-year-old woman alive and well at her Chattanooga home after she jumped into the river about 1 a.m. Wednesday and couldn’t be found.
Officials with Moccasin Bend Mental Health Facility reported to police that Waylon Farless, 36, escaped one of their buildings and went into the river at about 7 p.m. Tuesday. Witnesses told police they saw him swim about halfway across the river before calling for help, then submerging.
Searchers still had not determined if Farless was able to reach the shore or drowned but finished operations on the river Wednesday evening, police said.
At a news conference Wednesday morning, Chattanooga police Chief Bobby Dodd advised anyone who sees Farless to contact authorities. If Farless did drown, it will likely be two to three days before the body surfaces, Dodd said.