Body of missing Gilbertsville man recovered from Tennessee River

On Saturday, the Marshall County Rescue Squad posted that the body of a missing man was recovered from the Tennessee River.

According to Marshall Co. EMA Director Curt Curtner, 41-year-old Wesley Augustino of Gilbertsville was identified as the victim.

Augustino had been last seen by friends in the area of Gilbertsville Highway near the I-24 underpass. 

On December 26, deputies were dispatched to I-24 near the Tennessee River Bridge, for a report of a man walking in the westbound lane.

Deputies said they saw the man lying on the shoulder of the roadway near the top of the Tennessee River Bridge. When they turned around to go back to the man, they said the man was gone.

Over 100 personnel put in 495 man-hours during the next week to search on water and land, but since no missing persons report was filed and no witnesses saw a man jump from the bridge, the search effort was suspended.

Later, a volunteer search and rescue team affiliated with Christian Aid Ministries took up the case. The organization has teams in nine states including Tennessee and Illinois.

The Marshall County Rescue Squad posted on Saturday that ministry personnel discovered the lost person in the Tennessee River. A Marshall County Rescue Squad diver went into the water and recovered the victim.

Multiple local agencies were thanked for their help in the weekend recovery and the earlier search efforts.




(Photo Marshall County Rescue Squad)