Boater finds body believed to be man who went missing after Ohio River crash, chief deputy says

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A boater on the Ohio River found a body Sunday morning, and authorities believe it is the man who went missing April 17 after a boat and barge collided near the Greenwood Boat Dock in Louisville.

Chief Deputy Ray Whited with the Meade County Sheriff's Office told WDRB News authorities were notified about the body around 9:30 a.m. Sunday. The boater found the body on a portion of the Ohio River near Long Branch Road in Brandenburg, Kentucky, according to Whited.

Members of the Louisville Metro Police Department responded to the scene and helped recover the body, which Whited later identified as a 25-year-old Louisville resident. Although the man's name has been released, family members have requested that it be withheld until further notice.

This was the last person unaccounted for from the fatal crash between the boat and barge. Authorities believe they found the body of a woman who went missing after the crash Saturday about 200 yards from where the Ohio River meets the Salt River, according to Louisville Metro Police.

Another man, 20-year-old Hayden Spencer, died at University of Louisville Hospital after being pulled from the water.

Barge workers pulled four other boaters from the water after the crash, officials said. They were taken to University Hospital, but no update has been provided about their conditions since.

LMPD, the U.S. Coast Guard and members of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources have been investigating the collision between the boat and barge but have provided no information on what they believe happened.

A witness told WDRB News that his friends were watching the Thunder Over Louisville fireworks on the boat when the crash occurred.

This story may be updated.

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