DELAWARE — Recovery crews recovered the bodies of three adult men from the Scioto River Monday afternoon, officially concluding the search after two women were recovered Sunday night, according to the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.
Delaware County Sheriff Jeff Balzer said investigators believe the five adults entered the river during what appears to have been a series of rescue attempts after one person began struggling in the water.
The sheriff’s office has not identified any of the five victims.
The first man was recovered around 1 p.m. Monday about 12 feet beneath the water’s surface near where the two women were recovered Sunday night. The remaining two men were recovered later Monday.
According to the sheriff’s office, all five victims were found within the same general vicinity.
During a Monday morning press conference, Balzer shared new details about what investigators believe happened Sunday evening.
Balzer said a group had gathered near Area L of the O’Shaughnessy Reservoir watershed Sunday evening to spend time together, including fishing. At some point, one person entered the river to swim and began struggling.
“At some point, we believe one of the folks got in the river to go swimming, and that’s when the tragedy started to occur,” Balzer said.
Two others then entered the water in an apparent attempt to rescue the swimmer but also encountered trouble, he said.
“The area we’re talking about is Area L. It’s part of the O’Shaughnessy Reservoir watershed area,” Balzer said. “I believe they were swimming in a small cove or inlet off of there.”
While the investigation remains ongoing, Balzer said authorities do not currently believe an undertow played a role.
“I’m not an expert on it, but I doubt if the undertow has anything to do with it,” he said.
Balzer said investigators believe the group included five adults and two children, though some details remain uncertain because of a language barrier while interviewing one of the children, both of whom are younger than 10.
“We believe there may have been two sets of parents, two children and then someone else at least,” Balzer said.
One of the children flagged down a passing motorist on State Route 257, leading to the 911 call that brought first responders to the scene. Investigators do not know how long the child had been attempting to get help.
Balzer did not identify the motorist but thanked them for stepping up to help.
Both children are now in the care of Delaware County Job & Family Services. Balzer said one child is fluent in English, but the other is not. Investigators have not determined whether either child entered the water.
Authorities found coolers at the scene, but Balzer said it is not determined whether alcohol played a role in the incident. He said that question will be addressed by the Delaware County Coroner’s Office as part of its investigation.
Investigators also did not locate a boat or any life jackets at the scene.
Balzer urged people to wear life jackets and take other safety precautions when enjoying the water, especially if they are not confident swimmers.
At the time of Monday’s press conference, Balzer said crews from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the Columbus Division of Police and local agencies would continue searching until every victim had been recovered.
“We’re going to continue as long as we have to find these folks,” he said.