Jefferson County, TN (WOKI) UPDATE 8/18: The body of a boater missing since Sunday afternoon on Douglas Lake has been recovered.
TWRA officials say 44-year-old Yoser G. Rojas Valverde of Sevierville went missing around 4:30 p.m. in the Indian Creek area of the Lake. They say he reportedly fell from an inner tube after jumping onto it from a pontoon boat and struggled to stay above the surface.
TWRA says crews found Valverde‘s body around 11:00 a.m. Monday using a remote operated vehicle, adding that divers recovered his body around 11:30 a.m.
According to TWRA, this marks the 17th boating-related fatality on Tennessee waters in 2025.
An investigation into the incident by TWRA and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office remains ongoing.
ORIGINAL STORY: The search is set to continue Monday for a missing boater on Douglas Lake.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says emergency crews responded to a reported drowning Sunday afternoon.
A TWRA representative says the missing boater reportedly fell from an inner tube after jumping onto it from a pontoon boat.
TWRA says crews suspended search efforts Sunday night but intend to start again Monday morning.
