On Friday, April 14, 2006, a father and son were reported missing near the Hwy. 33 Bridge on Norris. Bryan Lanham, age 42, and Bobby Lanham, age 19, both of Tazewell, had taken their newly purchased boat to the lake for a day of recreation.
At approximately 6:00 p.m., a person on shore heard a man calling for help. A passing boat was flagged down and asked to check the situation.
When they went to investigate the calls for help, a 1983 model 15 ft. Cajun aluminum boat was found with the engine running and gear shift in neutral. No one was on board the boat. There was a rope tied to a float tube and attached to the boat. There was also a personal flotation device (boat cushion) in the water near the boat.
The Seth Foundation from Georgia brought advanced sonar equipment to help search for the missing boaters.
On Tuesday evening, April 18, 2006, the body of Bryan Lanham, was recovered by divers after being located by the sonar. The body was found several hundred feet downstream from where the boat was found.
Divers recovered the body of missing Bobby Lanham, on Wednesday, April 19, 2006, at approximately 5:30 p.m. The younger Lanham was found about 400 feet further downstream from where his father’s body was found. Both were in 80 feet of water.
Both bodies have been taken to the U.T. Medical Examiner’s Office. There were no signs of trauma on either the father or son.