The body of a 16-year-old boy who disappeared in the Potomac River near Great Falls on Thursday morning was recovered Friday by members of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) Swift Water Team.
According to MCFRS spokesperson David Pazos, search crews located the teen at approximately 9 a.m. Friday during search operations south of Sandy Landing near Great Falls. The boy had entered the Potomac River with friends at approximately 6:15 a.m. Thursday and failed to resurface, prompting an extensive search involving MCFRS and the Fairfax County Swift Water Rescue Team.
The teen’s body was transferred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and law enforcement authorities. His identity and cause of death will be released by police and the medical examiner.
FOX 5 DC previously reported that the missing swimmer was a 16-year-old boy. Authorities have not publicly identified him.
The tragedy comes less than a month after search crews recovered the body of 20-year-old Germantown resident and Towson University student Nazir Bell following a three-day search of the Potomac River near Great Falls. Bell disappeared on June 14 after becoming separated from a group while swimming in the river.
Officials continue to warn that swimming in the Potomac River near Great Falls is extremely dangerous due to powerful currents, submerged hazards and rapidly changing water conditions.
