Recovery effort underway for Augusta teen who jumped into river, official says

A recovery effort is underway Thursday morning for the body of a 19-year-old Augusta man who jumped into the Walnut River the night before, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Kelly Herzet said a boat and sonar are being used in a recovery effort for the man’s body Thursday morning. Engineers have also closed a floodgate to limit water flow in the search area. The incident was reported to the Augusta Department of Public Safety at around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday after a landowner found a shirt and cellphone along the bank of the river near the Osage Dam, Herzet said.

An officer who responded to the call spotted a group of teens, ranging in age from 14 to 18, in the area and questioned them.

The three boys wouldn’t say anything about the man who jumped in but a girl told police that the boy had jumped into the river and never came up, Herzet said.

Herzet said the water is running fast; concrete and rebar can be found in the water there as well.

The boy took off his shirt and placed down his cellphone before walking out on the dam and jumping into the river, Herzet said. When the man didn’t reappear, the other three boys left and went into town where they got the girl.

First responders searched until about 12:30 a.m. Thursday morning and then came back at around 8 a.m., Herzet said.

“This ain’t the first incident we have had down here,” Herzet said. “We’ve had … a couple kayakers 10 years ago or so and one lost his life and one didn’t. Kids come down here and mess around all the time.”

This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 10:41 AM.