Rescue Workers Determined To Recover Body Of New Tampa Father Of 4

Crews spent nine hours on the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River June 25 searching for the body of Thomas Hill of New Tampa, 51, according to Michelle Burnett, public information officer for the U.S. Forest Service.

Hill, the father of four children, fell into the river almost a week ago while on a white-water rafting tour with co-workers from Sherwin-Williams in Tampa.

“During today’s efforts, two search dogs indicated that Mr. Hill still may be located in the Five Falls Area,” said Incident Cmdr. Scott Loftis. “Two different search dogs will join the team tomorrow to see if they respond in the same areas.”

Today marks the seventh day of operations. For the last six days, more than 240 responders and administrative support personnel have worked to recover Hill’s body.

“Tomorrow, a crew from Columbia and Lexington County, S.C., is coming to get a fresh perspective in the search area,” said Loftis. “The recovery effort is tough physically and emotionally on all of the responders involved, so we rotate them in and out to re-energize them.”

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will search from the air again tomorrow morning, weather permitting, according to Burnett.

Incident Cmdr. Keith Wilbanks said rescue workers have ruled out a number of areas along the river, a popular spot for white-water rafting.

“We searched several parts of the river with a dive team, side-scan sonar and an underwater camera without finding Mr. Hill’s body,” said Wilbanks. “As a result, we’ve been able to rule those areas out.

"Unfortunately, the river is unpredictable and currents can shift from day to day. But we’re dedicated to this effort to find and recover Mr. Hill’s body and return him to his family," added Wilbanks.

Also today, representatives from South Carolina DNR, Georgia DNR, the U.S. Forest Service, as well as Oconee and Rabun counties, met with individuals from Sherwin-Williams to provide an update of operations to date.

"Our hearts go out to Mr. Hill's family," said Loftis. "We know this is a very difficult time for them."

Mike Eads, a multimedia journalist with the Anderson Independent-Mail, contributed to this report.