UPDATE: Body of Missing Ballard Boater Found
By WestKYStar Staff
LA CENTER, KY - The body of missing boater Barry Hammonds was found on Big Turner Lake late Sunday night, according to Ballard County Coroner Bob Morrow.
His body was found around 9 pm near where the initial incident occurred. More information will be forthcoming as the investigation continues.
Authorities had been searching for Hammonds, after he fell overboard in a Ballard County wildlife refuge Friday night.
Emergency responders were notified of the missing boater at about 11 pm Friday at Big Turner Lake in the Ballard Refuge Wildlife Management Area when a boat containing three people overturned. Investigators believe the three set out on the small lake, which is only about 11⁄2 miles long, in a 12-foot Jon boat. Some time later, 48-year-old Barry Hammonds stood up, causing the boat to flip. Two of the boaters made it to shore unharmed. No life jackets were found aboard the vessel.
Only a mile from the Ohio River, Big Turner Lake is not connected to the river and has no current. This created a search area of only about 100 feet, authorities said, but that portion of the lake can be more than 20 feet deep at points.
Anita Bugg, Ballard County Emergency Management director, said Sunday that rescue squad members attempted to drag the lake bottom and search with sonar. McCracken County Emergency Management assisted in the search operations and also sent divers to scan the area, but were unsuccessful in locating Hammonds Sunday.