Towboat Crew Recovers Body Near Confluence

A towboat crew discovered the body of one of two brothers near the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers June 19 following an apparent recreational boating accident.

Kevin Kelly, a spokesman for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR), said a towboat crew discovered the body of Wendell Sheffer, 63, of Metropolis, Ill. Kelly said he did not know the name of the towboat or the company that owned it.

An angler found the body of Sheffer’s brother, Raymond Sheffer, 60, of Sweetwater, Texas, about 9:30 a.m. June 19 at Ohio River Mile 977.

Conservation officers had responded to a call shortly before 6:30 a.m. that day of a 17-foot aluminum boat floating upside down on the Ohio River just north of the U.S. 51 bridge connecting Wickliffe, Ky., to Cairo, Ill., according to KDFWR. The boat was severely damaged.

The men had reportedly launched the boat Friday evening from Joppa, Ill. They had not been reported missing. Neither man was wearing a life jacket when found.

Conservation officers were assisted at the scene by the Ballard County Rescue Squad as well as first responders from Cairo. The bodies were taken to the state medical examiner’s office in Louisville for autopsy. Conservation officers continued to investigate.