Opp divers help find drowning victims in Lake Eufaula

Published 12:30 am Tuesday, April 10, 2018

A weekend search of Lake Eufaula for three missing fishermen included 20 different agencies, along with Opp Fire Department.

“We were contacted on Saturday about helping,” Corey Spurlin, Opp’s Fire Chief said.

“We left for Lake Eufaula around 6 a.m. on Sunday morning.”

Spurlin said that the fire department worked closely with the Henry County Sheriff’s Department to locate the second fishermen.

“The first body was found on Friday morning,” Spurlin said.

The three men went fishing on Lake Eufaula on Wed., April 4. at around 9 p.m.

On Thurs., April 5, the families of the men had not heard from them or seen them and contacted the Henry County Sheriff’s office.

The truck and trailer the men used to put the boat in the water was found just off of Thomas Mill Creek.

“They had cadaver dogs from Panama City to help with the search,” Spurlin said.

“What we were doing was using sonar off our boat and send divers down when we saw what we thought could be something credible.”

Spurlin said divers spent 10 hours out on the water in Lake Eufaula on Sunday.

There was also a helicopter search overhead that helped with the search and even located the second body floating in the water.

On Monday, the third body and the boat had been located.

The three fishermen were: Timothy Arnold Evans, 52; John White, 54; and Keith Price, 51; all of Henry County.

The investigation is still ongoing as to what happened to the three men.

“I just hope that we could give the families of these men some closure,” Spurlin said.