Gainesville, MO. – On Friday, March 25 at approximately 8:19 hours a call came into the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office
Dispatch advising a boat had capsized and there were two (2) individuals missing in the water. Deputies were dispatched to the area along with local fire departments and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
When deputies arrived, they met with the reporting party along with a male they had located on a sandbar that was in the boat at the time of the accident. The male involved in the incident advised he last saw the other two occupants down river from his location.
Members of the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Gainesville Fire,
Tecumseh Fire, Caney Mountain Fire, Lick Creek Fire, Pontiac Fire, Dora Fire, Bakersfield Fire, and the Army
Corps of Engineers and Missouri Department of Conservation searched the area as well as the water for the two (2) missing males.
At approximately 17:30 hours one of the fishermen was located in the water and was pronounced deceased by the Ozark County Coroner on the scene. Search efforts continue for the second fisherman.
The Ozark County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all the agencies that have assisted so far in the search efforts. We would also like to thank The First Baptist Church of Gainesville, Subway of Gainesville, Dollar General of Gainesville, Smoking Joe’s BBQ of Gainesville and Sugar Lilies of West Plains for their generous donations of food and essential items.
