COCKE COUNTY, Tenn. — First responders in Cocke County recovered a body from the French Broad River Wednesday that's believed to be the second of two men who disappeared after deputies said they crashed their vehicle into the water during a chase in January.
Authorities were notified on March 31 around 10 a.m. that a body had been discovered upriver off the far bank from the US 321 Fred Valentine Bridge.
The Cocke County Sheriff's Office, volunteer organizations, fire departments and the Emergency Management Agency assisted in recovering the body. It will be transported to the Knoxville Forensic Center for autopsy, and the CCSO is handling the investigation to confirm the identity.
"We want to send our thoughts and prayers out to the family of the deceased," Chief Deputy C.J. Ball said.
The Cocke County Sheriff's Office said on Jan. 22 two people were involved in a car chase and drove their vehicle into the French Broad River. According to a Facebook post from the sheriff's office, the two men got out and tried to swim to an island before they disappeared.
Searchers were able to locate one body on February 5 tangled up in debris roughly 12 feet from the river's edge.
