The search for a canoeist who fell into the Yadkin River in the Roaring River community when his boat overturned Friday afternoon ended at dark Saturday with the man still missing.
Emergency personnel said large-scale searching for Damien Jamal “D.J.” Mayes, 25, of Parker Lane, Moravian Falls, has been discontinued.
Two enforcement officers with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission were on the river in kayaks searching between Roaring River and Ronda Sunday morning, said Charlie Sale, a senior enforcement officer with the commission assigned to Wilkes.
“We plan to float again tomorrow” (Monday), said Sale.
The last boat involved in the daylong search on Saturday was out of the water by shortly after 8 p.m. and the search from along the river ended at dark.
Wilkes Rescue Squad Chief Cole Wyatt said the search Saturday was from the Red, White and Blue Road bridge over the Yadkin at Roaring River to the Ronda town park, a distance of at least six miles by river. Wyatt said there were about 30 people involved with the search.
“We decided to call off the large-scale search efforts due to the (fast) current at the time he went in the water and the lack of evidence found” on Saturday, said Wyatt. “The (Wilkes) Rescue Squad and wildlife (officers) will be spot checking the river this week using kayaks and a boat crew.”
Mayes was in a canoe with Corin Palmer, 26, of Millers Creek when it overturned a short distance downstream from the Yadkin near where the Red, White and Blue Road bridge crosses the river in the Roaring River community about 4 p.m. Friday.
This is about a mile from the Roaring River Canoe Rentals put-in site on the Roaring River, where they started.
Johnny Alexander, owner and operator of Roaring River Canoe Rentals on Cotton Mill Road, Roaring River, said he rented a 15-foot-long Old Town canoe to the two men about 3 p.m. Friday.
Alexander said two life jackets and two paddles came with the canoe. “I made them put on the life jackets before they left,” he said. Alexander was waiting at the Ronda town park to provide them a shuttle ride back to their vehicle when he learned about the boat overturning and the search for Mayes.
Roaring River Fire Chief Dale Pierce said Palmer stated that the canoe overturned at some point while Mayes was removing his life jacket and his shirt.
He said Palmer stated that he hung on to the canoe and was able to get to shore with the boat while Mayes was swept downstream by the current, apparently without a life jacket.
Pierce said emergency personnel were told that Mayes didn’t know how to swim. Palmer said Mayes had no prior experience paddling a canoe. Pierce said only one life jacket was recovered from the Yadkin.
Wyatt said the search Saturday was conducted by three boat teams. He said no diving was conducted for safety reasons. “The water is very murky, with a strong current and several snags and strainers.”
He said dragging operations and side scan sonar were utilized, as well as crews walking along the banks and in kayaks near the shore.
Wyatt said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assisted by reducing the volume of water released from W. Kerr Scott Dam, which he said dropped the water level of the Yadkin by 18 to 20 inches on Saturday.
In addition to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, members of the Wilkes, Elkin and Lewisville rescue squads and the Roaring River, Ronda, Pleasant Hill, Champion, Wilkesboro and other fire departments helped search on Friday, Saturday or both days.
Several family members and friends of Mayes remained at the staging area - a gravel pulloff along N.C. 256 East opposite the Wilkes County Landfill - on Friday and Saturday. Palmer, said to be close friends with Mayes, was among them.
The American Red Cross assisted by providing searchers with cold drinks and snacks.
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