A 15-year-old boy was transported and declared deceased at the Starr Regional Hospital in Etowah after an incident on the Hiwassee River.
TWRA officers, along with Polk County EMS, Tennessee State Parks and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, responded to a call just before 4:45 p.m. EDT, regarding an overturned kayak on the Hiwassee River in the Quinn Springs area.
A group of nine adults and 11 juveniles left in kayaks and tubes on a point-to-point trip along the Hiwassee River.
The 15-year-old was last seen behind the group on a sit-on-top kayak.
Members of the party discovered the boy down river, unresponsive and away from his kayak, and called for assistance.
The kayak was later found against a large, downed tree. The deceased was transported to UT Medical for autopsy. The incident remains under investigation.