SANFORD, N.C. — A body was found on the Cape Fear River on Wednesday, just days after four people were rescued from disappearance following a boating accident.
Four people were rescued from the Cape Fear River in Lee County on Thursday. Police did not release the identity of the remains found Wednesday, but confirmed the remains were those of the still missing person from the Dec. 28 boating accident.
Last week, emergency responders searched the river at Lett's Landing in the 3200 block of Buckhorn Road south of Moncure for five people who had gone into the river.
Rescuers searched from the air, on land and in the water on Thursday afternoon after the teenagers were reported missing.
The four rescued people are expected to be fine.
A dozen different departments had representatives assist in the search.
Lee County Emergency Management Director Matthew Britt said Thursday's choppy water flow made it a tough day for boaters.
“The water was rough yesterday,” Britt said. “They made it about half a mile after starting and ran into a rough current.”
The emergency services also searched the adjacent forest areas.
Cecil Cameron has lived in the area all his life. Cameron believes he saw the group of boaters heading to the river on Thursday.
“I asked, Are you going behind the dam on the Buckhorn side? He said, 'No, we'll do that.' Let's“Landing,” so I think it has to be the same guys,” Cameron said.
Cameron grew up on the water and knows the Cape Fear River well. He believes recent rains may have been a factor.
“Given the three and a half inches of rain we've had in two days, there's a tremendous amount of water flowing into this river,” Cameron said. “The river would be very strong and where they went in would be very strong.”
At one point, crews were focused on an area approximately 4.5 miles from Buckhorn Dam.
Cape Fear Fire Department Fire Chief Josh Billings said water levels rose 5 to 7 feet above normal.
“You cannot conduct a search by leading people into water that is 3 feet deep in some areas and 15 feet deep in others,” Billings said.
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