Search continues for missing teen

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Chad P.

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Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
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Location
Milan, Georgia
# of dives
100 - 199
Multiple agencies are participating in the search efforts. Please pray for their safety, the family and community, and for a quick resolution. Below is an article from a local newspaper.


January 17, 2011
Search continues for missing teen
Kay Harris, Dean Poling and Paul Leavy The Valdosta Daily Times The Valdosta Daily Times Mon Jan 17, 2011, 11:42 PM EST

LAKE PARK — Search-and-rescue crews vowed Monday to keep searching Ocean Pond until missing 17-year-old James Eunice has been located.

The teen vanished Saturday afternoon and is feared to have fallen overboard from a boat he and a friend were using while duck hunting. The friend stayed on the shore while Eunice went out in the boat. Eunice was declared missing when the boat was spotted running in circles with no one on board.

Search-and-rescue crews have worked around the clock, day and night, since Eunice was reported missing Saturday. On Monday, the search included the use of underwater sonar devices, underwater cameras, helicopters, divers, and people inspecting the shores on foot and boat.

Through sporadic visibility Monday, helicopters continued searching the banks. Moody Air Force Base helicopters reportedly searched areas of the pond’s banks which could not be reached by boat or on foot.

Divers and boats conducted the search in the pond. With temperatures at about 40 degrees in the water, divers rotated in 15-minute shifts beneath the pond’s surface. Divers have traveled to Ocean Pond from throughout the immediate Valdosta-Lowndes County and Moody area, as well as further distances such as Albany, Thomasville and Tallahassee, Fla.

Ocean Pond looks like two major lakes but is one connected by a canal of water. Eunice went missing in the larger, southwestern segment of Ocean Pond. Though called a pond, it is a large body of water, ranging 525.7 acres.

Hundreds of friends, family members and classmates have kept vigil on the banks as the crews worked to locate Eunice.

Meanwhile, thousands have kept vigil on social networking sites. As of early Monday evening, nearly 3,000 people had joined the Facebook site Come Home Safe James Eunice. The FB event site Pray for James Eunice had attracted almost as many hits.

On these sites, people who have known James Eunice for years and live near him posted alongside people from across the nation, many of whom claimed to have never met him but are praying for him and the Eunice family.

James Eunice is a senior at Valdosta High School. He plays numerous sports and is scheduled to graduate this spring.

James is the son of John Eunice, a 2010 candidate for Valdosta City Council, and the younger brother of John Eunice, who was elected to the Valdosta City Council for two terms.

The Eunice family issued an emotional statement Monday through the city of Valdosta.

“We are extremely thankful for the outpouring of support from the Valdosta-Lowndes community as we endure this tragic event,” the family said. “The multi-agency rescue effort on behalf of our son James has been overwhelming to witness. Federal, state and local coordination has been superb. We continue to hold out hope that James will be found. We know that we have the best people in the search and rescue business coordinating the effort, and we are patiently, yet anxiously, awaiting the results. Our family has been overwhelmed by the prayers, encouragement and support. We kindly ask that you continue to pray for the rescue efforts as our family holds out for hope.”

A three-day prayer and worship service for community members began at Crosspointe Church in Valdosta Monday evening, and will continue today and Wednesday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend.
 
Thanks for the info...I have family in Lowndes County and we have a family farm there...where my mother grew up. I am familiar with how tangled and messy the ponds are there...coontail, dollar bonnets and lily pads can be very thick.

Here is an update from Jan. 21:

January 21, 2011
Appling County dive team joins search for missing teen
Dawn Castro
The Valdosta Daily Times

LAKE PARK — A Southwest Georgia team of divers joined search and rescue efforts Thursday, helping area authorities search for a missing teenager.

James Eunice, 17, vanished Saturday afternoon and is feared to have fallen overboard from a boat while duck hunting.

Authorities have been conducting an extensive search of Ocean Pond ever since. The search has included divers, foot patrols, boats, Moody Air Force Base and Georgia State Patrol helicopters. The search has reportedly combined the latest technology in underwater cameras, sonar and infrared lights, as well as old-fashioned methods such as hounds seeking a scent.

The search continued Thursday with help from the Appling County dive team, according to the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office. Flight operations were not conducted due to the dense fog that blanketed the area during the morning hours and remaining cloud cover in the early afternoon. Two floating metal detectors were added in an effort to locate any metallic items that may be in the water, including cellular telephones, buttons on clothing, etc. These detectors are towed behind boats and is said to be a slow process.

Search efforts have been hampered by the large amount of underwater vegetation that is present on the bottom of the lake, but the metal detectors should assist with this, according to the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, as authorities are covering 370 acres of water. Search and rescue efforts were scheduled to continue throughout the night.

James Eunice is the son of John, a 2010 candidate for Valdosta City Council, and Tammy Eunice and the younger brother of John Eunice, who was elected to the Valdosta City Council for two terms.
 
Good to see all the teams working together. I was very impressed with the way the US Air Force is coordinating the operation using State PSD Team, local PSD Teams with their PJ dive team. Good work by the VFD DNR with sidescan too. We plan to go back down there this weekend if they don't find him by Saturday.
 
Here is the latest news from the Valdosta Daily Times...the teams are still working.

I found out today that some of our team eqpt. was sent down to use for the search...side scan sonar and an underwater camera.

******************************

January 27, 2011
Still no answers in search for missing teen
Dawn Castro
The Valdosta Daily Times

LAKE PARK — Windy conditions once again kept helicopters from assisting in the search and rescue of a missing teenager Wednesday.

Tuesday, it was rain that kept the helicopters on the ground.

Besides the second day of canceled flights, search and rescue efforts continued as usual for 17-year-old James Eunice Wednesday, reported a Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office official.

Search hounds and boat and dive teams worked around the clock in the hopes of finding answers.

Eunice vanished on the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 15. It is feared that he fell overboard from a boat while duck hunting. A friend stayed on the shore while Eunice went out in the boat. When the friend found the empty boat running in circles, he began calling for help.

Those who answered the friend’s calls for help found him in the water reportedly searching for Eunice.

Authorities have been conducting an around-the-clock, extensive search of the area.

The search and rescue effort has included divers, foot patrols and boats, as well as helicopters from Moody Air Force Base and the Georgia State Patrol. The search has reportedly combined the latest technology in underwater cameras, sonar and infrared lights as well as old-fashioned methods, such as hounds seeking a scent.

Search efforts have been hampered by the large amount of underwater vegetation that is present on the bottom of Ocean Pond — which is basically two major lakes covering an estimated 525.7 acres connected by a canal of water.

James Eunice is the son of John, a 2010 candidate for Valdosta City Council, and Tammy Eunice and the younger brother of John Eunice, who was elected to the Valdosta City Council for two terms, and Lindsey Eunice.

No other information was provided by officials as of press time.
 
Our team is on call for next weekend if the situation is not resolved before then. Apparently many of the divers are using wet suits and exposure is an issue.
 
Members from 4 of our local teams worked together this past weekend (Jan 29th and 30th). We primarily searched on sonar, HRD dog, and metal detector hits to clear those areas. Water temp was up a few degrees from the past weekend. Low 50's vs high 40's on the 23rd. Speaking with some people who have been there most of the time, they did say some teams tried to dive in wet suits but were unable due to the cold.

I would also like say kudos to the community around Ocean Pond. The support for the family and the search operations have been nothing short of amazing. From food to lodging, the community is stepping up and providing.
 
Members from 4 of our local teams worked together this past weekend (Jan 29th and 30th). We primarily searched on sonar, HRD dog, and metal detector hits to clear those areas. Water temp was up a few degrees from the past weekend. Low 50's vs high 40's on the 23rd. Speaking with some people who have been there most of the time, they did say some teams tried to dive in wet suits but were unable due to the cold.

I would also like say kudos to the community around Ocean Pond. The support for the family and the search operations have been nothing short of amazing. From food to lodging, the community is stepping up and providing.

It was nice to see so many teams working together this weekend for one common goal. Bring James home.
 
Update:

January 31, 2011
Eunice found
Kay Harris The Valdosta Daily Times The Valdosta Daily Times Mon Jan 31, 2011, 10:18 AM EST

VALDOSTA — The Times received official confirmation from the Lowndes County Sheriff's Department that James Eunice's body was located this morning in Ocean Pond around 8 a.m. The family remains on the site along with rescue teams as they prepare to draw this two week search to a close.

Numerous agencies assisted from throughout the region in the search efforts, after Eunice was reported missing and feared drowned while duck hunting with a friend. An autopsy to confirm the cause of death will be performed.

The Times has been informed that the family will release a statement later today.
 
Thanks for the updates and persistence, Chad and Waterdog. Your efforts mean a lot to the folks involved.

Condolences to the family and friends.
 

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