Ketner's MillThe identities of the three men who drowned Thursday night at Ketner's Mill have been released.
Lebron Hurt and Charles Hurt were the two brothers who went over the dam. Jeremy Richardson was the nearby fisherman who jumped in the water to try and save the brothers.
Richardson's body was found Saturday morning at approximately 9:30 Central time. Officials found his body approximately 1.5 miles down the water from where he initially dove in, said Steve Lamb, director of Marion County Emergency Management Agency.
A call came into Marion County's 911 service at 7:40 p.m. Thursday saying three people had been missing in the water for longer than 10 minutes, Lamb said.
The two brothers were swimming at Ketner's Mill when Charles was swept over the edge of the dam, Lamb said. Lebron then jumped over the dam and tried to save his brother. Richardson, who was fishing nearby, jumped in as well.
Lamb said the incident is tied for the most he's ever seen drown at one time at Ketner's Mill.
"Anytime you got an overhead dam, the water gets rolling," he said.
Because of how much rain the Chattanooga area has gotten recently, the water at Ketner's Mill is stronger than usual, Lamb said. The pace of the current has forced officials to go as far as one mile downstream in their search for the third man.
This latest incident follows a near-drowning Wednesday at Ketner's Mill when a swimmer had to be rescued by another person. Both of those people are OK, Lamb said.
Marion County EMA usually gets one or two reports of drowning a year. When asked how often drowning happens at Ketner's Mill, Lamb had a simple answer.
"Too often."
Stay with the Times Free Press for updates on this developing story.