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Agencies End Ohio River Search for Possible Jumper

Agencies End Ohio River Search for Possible Jumper
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By Bill Hughes
Mar. 26, 2015 | PADUCAH, KY
By Bill Hughes Mar. 26, 2015 | 05:33 PM | PADUCAH, KY
A multi-agency search on the Ohio River Thursday may have been based on bad information.

The search began Thursday about 3:00 pm, after Massac and McCracken County Sheriff's Departments both received calls saying a woman was standing on the Interstate 24 Bridge. Several officers responded, and no woman was seen, but a person claiming to be a witness told a deputy he saw the woman jump from the bridge. 

McCracken County Sheriff's Department Sergeant David Shepherd said multiple agencies put boats in the water and began searching the Ohio River, looking in locations where the bodies of previous jumpers have been found. After finding nothing, he said they decided to call off the search before dark due to the swift 6 mph current and the large amount of debris floating downstream in the flooded river.

Friday morning, an officer received information from a man who said he saw a woman being picked up on or near the bridge, and the vehicle had a Colorado license plate. Conversations between Massac and McCracken County law enforcement also determined that there had been no missing persons reports filed.

Shepherd said search efforts have been suspended because current evidence shows a low probability that a person might be in the river.


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A search of the Ohio River began Thursday afternoon after a report that a woman jumped from the I-24 bridge.

McCracken County Sheriff Jon Hayden confirmed that crews from McCracken, Massac and Ballard counties, along with Paducah Fire Department were in boats searching for a woman. A witness told law enforcement he saw the woman jump from the bridge.

Law enforcement responded to the eastbound side of the bridge about 3:00 pm.

The river is still in flood stage after the heavy snowfall and rain over the past month.

More information will be posted on this story when it is released by officials.

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