Crews are searching for a 9-year-old boy who fell into the Duck River in Shelbyville on Tuesday.
According to a WSMV report, the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office said Dreyton Sims and his brother went in to swim sometime Tuesday afternoon and couldn’t get out. The brother was pulled out but Sims was not.
A close family friend said the brother and stepfather both tried to rescue him but could not.
Officials stopped the search temporarily Tuesday night because of the dark and dangerous water, but the report says family members and friends continued the search.
Sims was last seen around 4:30 p.m. He was wearing khaki shorts and white and black shoes.
Authorities have not given up hope on a rescue.
“Sometimes folks can get out on the side of the river on the riverbank. They get scared. We have been searching the riverbanks as well as the water, but we don’t know yet at this point. I’m not prepared to call it either way,” Scott Johnson with Bedford County EMA said.
Dreyton reportedly learned how to swim about a year ago.
The Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, Bedford County EMA, and Shelbyville police and fire searching on Tuesday. Bedford County officials returned to the river around 9 a.m. Wednesday.
