UPDATE: May 5 at 7:15 p.m.
Crews returned to Laurel Lake this morning for a second day of searching for missing 26-year-old John Myrick.
Myrick has not been seen since a Sunday afternoon accident where strong currents by the city dam pulled a boat occupied by him and another man underwater. More than 24 hours later, more than five agencies continue their recovery mission for Myrick, but conditions are not in their favor.
"You got the current that's coming in there so you can't get the boats too close to the dam," Fish and Wildlife Game Warden Austin Baker said.
The current and the debris in the water makes it too dangerous for divers so, for now, searchers are dragging the lake on tethered boats and using sonar to search near the dam. Baker said that crews have to use these tools far too often.
"You know sadly it's a common occurrence," Baker said. "When it comes to the water it happens a lot more often than people would think."
Baker says that no family should have to stand on the banks of Kentucky's waterways, waiting for a miracle like Myrick's family has for two days.
Seeing the family coming out and all the volunteers and stuff like that, it definitely helps you keep pushing, to keep on going, even when times get bad," he said.
Baker has one message for anyone who gets out on the lake this season: keep your life jackets accessible or on your person at all times.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office says they are searching for 26-year-old John Myrick from Gray, Kentucky, after he apparently fell from a capsized boat close to the dam near the 312 bridge in southern Laurel County at approximately 12:15 p.m.
The LCSO says that Myrick was last seen wearing a gray and black jacket and blue jean pants.
Kyle Clark with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife said one man made it to shore, but Myrick and the boat went under water.
"They got close to the dam and got caught in some currents and capsized their boat," said Clark.
Several agencies searched for hours Sunday; they called it a recovery mission, not a rescue.
"They're using different types of sonar, rakes and cables, trying to see if they can find anything," said Clark.
Area departments, including Keavy Volunteer Fire Department, Corbin Fire Department, the London-Laurel County Rescue Squad, Laurel County DPS and Emergency Management, and Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, are continuing search efforts.
LEX 18 will keep you up-to-date with the latest information as it becomes available on-air and online.
