Two boating accidents at the Holston River and Cherokee Lake in Hawkins County have resulted in a missing man and one fatality.
Holston River fatality
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency started investigating a fatal boating accident that occurred on the Holston River near Christian’s Bend Boating Ramp on Wednesday afternoon.
At about 5 p.m., officials located an unoccupied aluminum boat filled with personal belongings. According to officials, the boat did not appear to have been involved in a collision.
A short time later, the body of a 51-year-old white male was found 200 yards upstream from the boat’s location.
The victim has been identified as Dennis Wayne Jenkins, 51, of Ridgefields Road in Kingsport.
He was not wearing a life jacket, according to investigators.
Jenkins’ body has been taken to the Quillen College of Medicine in Johnson City for an autopsy.
Missing man
The Hawkins County Rescue Squad is asking the public for information about a man who was last seen on a raft near the Quarryville Boat Ramp in Mooresburg on Wednesday evening.
The rescue squad went to a call at Cherokee Lake near the Quarryville Boat Ramp at about 7:25 p.m.
Responding units learned that people had seen a male on an inflatable raft in the water alone. Shortly after, first responders located the raft floating in the water.
The man was nowhere in sight.
Members of the Hawkins County Rescue Squad, Morristown Emergency and Rescue Squad, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Hawkins County EMS and the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office assisted in search efforts.
Rescuers searched near the last sighting of the man and utilized sonar and other search methods.
At approximately 11:46 p.m. on Wednesday, search efforts were suspended, and no other searches are planned at this time.
The missing man is described as a white male with gray hair who appeared to be in his 50s. He was last seen between noon and 6 p.m.
According to the Hawkins County Rescue Squad, the raft that was recovered was blueish in color.
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