Was screaming child thrown into river? NC police investigate report with large search

Law enforcement, rescue crews and volunteers are searching a North Carolina river after police said they received a report that a man “supposedly threw a 6-year-old child in the river.”

Bryson City Police Chief James G. Jones told The State that his department received a call from a “citizen in Bryson,” around 10:45 p.m. Tuesday. The person reported there was a “domestic dispute between an adult male and an adult female,” who were in a white SUV on a bridge over the Tuckasegee River.

Jones said the caller, who he estimated lives about 700 yards directly across the river from where the incident reportedly occurred, told police the man threw a child in the river, adding that the child looked about 6 years old.

Assistant Police Chief Brian Jenkins said the witness heard “the child screaming for help,” foxcarolina.com reported.

A search began immediately after receiving the report, according to Jones. It included getting boats in the water, checking for evidence and canvassing the area to see if anyone else had witnessed a child being thrown in the river.

The search continued into Wednesday, and Jones said he has reached out to multiple agencies for assistance.

No child has been found, according to Jones, who said no one else saw or heard the domestic dispute or a child being thrown into the river.

Additionally, no vehicle fitting the caller’s description has been located, there were no signs of tire tracks on the gravel road that runs along both ends of the bridge and there have be no reports of missing children that match the description of the child in the reported incident, said Jones, who added he has checked with hospitals, schools and for open missing person reports.

But that does not mean the search has been called off, or will be any time soon. As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jones said five boats were still in the river looking for the child.

“I don’t know if this happened or not,” Jones told The State.

When asked if he thought the caller was credible, Jones replied “I don’t see why anyone in the world would make this up, but there is no evidence to support the report.”

Jones said the search will continue as long as the weather and terrain permit. That includes checking the water, as well as combing river banks, islands in the river and other outlets along the river until it flows into Fontana Lake.

Because the current in the river spiked after midnight early Wednesday morning, Jones said a body might not be discovered “until it reaches the lake.” But the river will be searched several more times.

“I hope we don’t find anything, but we will keep looking,” Jones said.

This story was originally published September 5, 2018 at 8:09 PM.