Kentucky officials: Bodies of two brothers pulled from Ohio River

Published 5:00 am Tuesday, June 22, 2021

The bodies of two brothers who had apparently been boating have been pulled from the Ohio River, Kentucky authorities said.

Conservation officers were investigating what led to the deaths, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources said in a statement.

Officials were originally called Saturday morning after a damaged 17-foot aluminum boat was found floating upside down on the river just north of a bridge connecting Wickliffe, Kentucky to Cairo, Illinois, the statement said.

A few hours later, an angler reported a body in the river that was later identified as Raymond Sheffer, 60, of Sweetwater, Texas, officials said. A towboat found another body near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. He was identified as Wendell Sheffer, 63, of Metropolis, Illinois, officials said.

Neither man was wearing a life jacket when found, officials said.

Autopsies were set to be performed in Louisville.