Bodies of 2 fishermen missing at tourney pulled from Norfork Lake
Posted on Tuesday, October 24, 2006
MOUNTAIN HOME — The bodies of two Missouri fishermen were recovered Monday morning from Norfork Lake, authorities said.
The men, who were participating in a fishing tournament, likely were thrown overboard when they lost control of their boat while making a sharp turn, Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery said.
Sheriff’s office divers recovered the body of Jason Ledbetter, 28, about 4: 40 a.m. About five hours later, the body of Travis Dunnihoo, 31, was pulled from the water.
The county coroner’s office ruled the deaths accidental drownings, Montgomery said. Neither man was wearing a life jacket. Both men lived in West Plains, Mo.
Authorities used a global positioning system device that was on the men’s boat to help narrow the search area and assist in the accident reconstruction.
“That was incredible,” Montgomery said of the information gleaned from the GPS device. Without it, he added, finding the bodies might have been “like looking for a needle in a haystack.” Ledbetter and Dunnihoo had taken part in a fishing tournament on the lake that ended at 4 p.m. Sunday.
When the men failed to come off the lake, several other fishermen began searching for them, in case they had engine trouble.
A tournament participant spotted the men’s empty boat on the bank in the Float Creek area just south of the town of Henderson and notified authorities at 5: 24 p.m. Sunday.
The engine’s kill switch was not attached or in use.
A pair of shoes and two face masks had washed ashore near the boat.
Montgomery said the boat’s GPS device had tracked and recorded the vessel’s movements. Cary Wilcoxen, a specialist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, retrieved the data from the device.
“This data was instrumental in allowing personnel to direct their rescue efforts to the proper location,” the sheriff said.
“Data from the GPS device also indicated that the boat made a sharp turn to the right at one point, and it is likely that the operator lost control of the boat with the occupants being thrown overboard.” The bodies were found with- in 60 feet of where the hardright turn had been recorded, he said.
The sheriff’s office launched its helicopter Sunday to assist in the search.
Department divers and underwater-camera operators also responded.
Members of the Missouri Water Patrol equipped with sonar equipment located the bodies early Monday in about 97 feet of water.
Members of the Henderson Volunteer Fire Department and Baxter Regional Medical Center personnel also participated in the search and recovery.
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