PATRIOT, Ind. — Officials have identified the man whose body was pulled from the Ohio River after he fell from a boat on Labor Day.
The Gallatin County Sheriff's Office identified the man as 48-year-old Aaron Kime.
Gallatin County Sheriff Bud Webster said Kime's body was pulled from the river at around 12:27 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Gallatin County Coroner's Office, officials said.
Webster said when Kime fell into the water, there were others on the boat who tried to search for him. When that was unsuccessful, those people called 911, Webster said.
Kime's family released a statement through the sheriff's office Tuesday afternoon:
Aaron passed away in a boating accident doing what he loved the most; spending time with his family and friends on the beautiful water. Aaron and several friends and family took a late night boat cruise to enjoy the stars and calm water. Aaron was safely sitting when he collapsed and fell into the water. His loved ones immediately took action but were sadly unable to rescue him.
The entire family wants the community to know that Aaron is an incredible husband, father, son, brother, uncle, and friend. We will also always remember his caring, helpful, fun nature and the love he also had for the meaningful family time spent boating up and down the Ohio River.
Aaron is also a follower of Christ and lived his life through Jesus's example of love for one another. We take comfort in knowing that he is at peace and home with his Lord and Savior. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude for all the members of the Rescue Teams who worked non-stop the past two days to bring Aaron home. Please respect the family's privacy as we deal with this incredibly difficult time.
So far, the coroner's office has not released any information on the cause of Kime's death.
In all, the search efforts were comprised of over 100 workers from multiple jurisdictions in Indiana and Kentucky and of those, around 85% were volunteers despite the holiday weekend, Webster said.
When Kime was found, his body was in 27 feet of water not far from where he fell from the boat, according to Brandon Terrell, director of Gallatin County EMA.
Jeff-Craig Fire Department in Vevay, Indiana, said a crew began searching the river at around 3 a.m. Monday after a man went overboard from a recreational boat.
Gallatin County EMS posted that the search resumed Tuesday morning after 8 a.m. Officials on scene said they were bringing in five more boats from different agencies in what they are now calling a "search and recovery" effort.
"If you are going to be on the water use caution as water rescue operations are still ongoing near Patriot," JCFD wrote.
Gallatin County EMS in Kentucky also called for boaters to use caution as the search continues.
JCFD has not named the man they're searching for nor said how he fell into the river.
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