Rockingham County: Body of final missing tuber recovered from Dan River
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The body of the final missing tuber in the Dan River was recovered Monday afternoon, Rockingham County officials said.
"It has just been a continuous search, come back, search again," said Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page Tuesday afternoon. "Our swift water rescue squad team, they do not give up. They were dedicated. Their goal was to find the missing family member. And they did their job."
Teresa Villano, 35, had been missing since she and her family accidentally went over the Duke Energy dam while tubing at the Dan River on June 16.
Rockingham County Emergency Services personnel and Swift Water Rescue Teams found and recovered Villano's body from the Dan River near the Draper Boat Landing.
Her rescue comes weeks after four other members of Villano's family were found dead as a result of the accident. The bodies of other family members, including two children, were recovered in June. Four family members were rescued.
Authorities said nine people were floating on the water on the Dan River June 16 when they went over the dam near the Duke Energy facility in Rockingham County.
But emergency officials said it wasn’t until around 3 p.m. the next day that they received a 911 phone call from a Duke Energy employee. Emergency crews rescued four people out of the water on June 17 who were taken to the hospital. Page said they had a floatation device with them when they were rescued from the water.
Emergency crews rescued 35-year-old Rueben Villano, 14-year-old Eric Villano, 18-year-old Irene Villano and 14-year-old Karlos Villano who were clinging to the dam in the river authorities said.
The bodies of 27-year-old Bridish Crawford, 30-year-old Antonio Ramon and 14-year-old Sophie Wilson were later recovered. The body of Isaiah Crawford, 7, was recovered on June 20.
Irene Villano, one of the surviving family members, told NBC affiliate WRAL news that she and her family did not see warning signs of a dam.
Duke Energy has installed new warning signs near the dam at the Dan River. On Monday afternoon, a spokesperson shared the following statement:
"Like the rest of the Eden and Rockingham community, we are saddened by the tragic event on the Dan River. We certainly want to participate in a community discussion on recreation and safety in and around the river. While safety on the river is a broader conversation for the community as a whole, we installed new, larger warning signs above and below the dam as quickly as possible to reinforce that the public should not approach the dam. A portage exists to safely route paddlers around the dam."
Page said the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office is working with other agencies to look for ways to improve safety on the river while still preserving its natural beauty and flow. Page thanked the Greensboro and Winston-Salem fire departments and the various other local and state agencies for their assistance in the search. He said he hoped to know their loved ones were found to help the families impacted to move towards closure.
"It takes time to heal," Page said. "(The rescue squad members) know they were able to help the family, in some way, move toward closure."