Wlaf1450LENOIR CITY, TN (SPECIAL TO WLAF) – The body of a fisherman who has been missing for a week below Ft. Loudoun Dam was recovered Saturday afternoon.
Wildlife officers say a local fisherman recovered the body of Eric Mowery, 51, of Heiskell around 3:15 pm Saturday afternoon when it resurfaced in the area where it went down. Mowery had been missing since last Saturday morning when the boat he and Steven D. Musick, 44, of Jellico, were fishing from was pulled into cascading water from the dam’s spillway. The boat capsized sending both occupants, who were wearing personal flotation devices, into the treacherous waters. Musick went underwater several times but was pulled to safety by nearby fishermen, while Mowery went under and never resurfaced.
Wildlife officers recovered debris from the boat as rescue crews from multiple departments in the east Tennessee area spent the next several days scouring the riverbank and channel looking for the missing angler.
Mowery’s death marks the third such fatal incident below Ft. Loudoun Dam in three years. TWRA encourages anglers to not approach the downstream dam face and wing wall area while water is spilling from the gates. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 12/06/2020-7:30AM)