Little River Canyon News Release For Immediate Release – June 12, 2020

Contact – Matt Switzer, matthew_switzer@nps.gov, (256) 845-9605

Drowning at Little River Canyon National Preserve, Fort Payne, Al – On the afternoon of Thursday, June 11, 2020, around 5:20 PM, an 18-year-old male from Jefferson County was floating on the river above Little River Falls with friends.  

The individual’s friends got off the river approximately 80 feet before the waterfall, but the individual was caught up in the current and last seen going over the waterfall and he never resurfaced from the pool below. First responders were immediately dispatched and on-scene within minutes and a search and rescue operation was initiated.

National Park Service rangers, Fischer Rescue Squad, Fort Payne Fire Department, DeKalb Ambulance Service, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency troopers all responded to the scene for the rescue and recovery. Divers from Fischer Rescue Squad located the body of the victim and recovered him at 6:37 PM.

The victim was brought out of the canyon and turned over to the DeKalb County Coroner’s Office around 7:45 PM.

For more information, please contact Park Ranger/Public Information Officer Matt Switzer at 256-845-9605 and DeKalb County Coroner’s Office at 256-638-2700.