COLUMBUS – Authorities in Knox County say they will evaluate weather conditions before deciding if it safe to resume the search for a 15-year-old Columbus boy who went missing Tuesday afternoon while swimming in the Kokosing River.
Boats, divers and K9 units from a half dozen local and state agencies and community organizations searched the river around Honey Run Park, near Millwood, for 11 hours Wednesday before suspending operations due to darkness, Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer said.
The boy disappeared while wading and swimming on the river with three other juveniles and an adult.
Boat crews and divers from multiple agencies searched for approximately five hours before stopping for the night. The searched resumed on Wednesday morning.
Shaffer says the situation would be evaluated on Thursday morning as rain is in the forecast and that could have an impact on the safety of search crews, he said.
The Eastern Knox County Joint Fire District, Fredericktown Fire Department, Walhonding Valley Fire District, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Dellroy Community Fire Department and Christian Aid Ministries Search and Rescue contributed in the search efforts, according to Shaffer.