Latest news with #StJohnsRiver
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Yahoo
Man, 24, Vanishes After Traveling Out of State for Dating App Meet-Up. Weeks Later, His Remains Are Found
'We needed him back home," Nicholas Anderson's stepfather saidNEED TO KNOW The family members of Nicholas Anderson, 24, said they had not heard from their loved one after he went to Florida to see a man he met through a dating app in April Authorities said skeletal remains were found in May near the retention wall of a home on the St. Johns River in Fleming Island The remains were later identified as belonging to Anderson, the Clay County Sheriff's Office announced on Aug. 1The remains of a missing Atlanta man, whose family said traveled to Florida to meet a person off a dating app, have been identified. The Clay County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) in Florida said in a Friday, Aug. 1, news release that skeletal remains found in May near the retention wall of a home on the St. Johns River in Fleming Island belonged to Nicholas Lamont Anderson, 24. The positive identification was made in cooperation with the District 4 Medical Examiner's Office and with help from the community, authorities said. 'While this is a considerable step forward in this investigation, CCSO detectives are still seeking information about Mr. Anderson and circumstances leading up to the discovery of his body; specifically, the persons he encountered, his activities, and places he visited from April 1 to April 7, 2025,' the sheriff's office said. The Clay County Sheriff's Office has not released Anderson's cause of death or shared whether or not foul play is suspected. PEOPLE contacted the sheriff's office for comment on Tuesday, Aug. 5. In an interview with NBC affiliate WXIA, Anderson's aunt, Monica Tucker, said her nephew traveled to Jacksonville, Fla., to meet a man he had been corresponding with on a dating app. He had not returned home from that trip since April. Tucker said when Anderson did not show up, his family went to Jacksonville to meet the man from the app. She added that there were inconsistencies in the man's story, although authorities later cleared him. 'First, he said he didn't see him,' Tucker told WXIA. 'Then he said he went to the hotel to watch movies. And then he says he took them to go get cigarettes, and then he kept saying something about a pier.' Trommell Henry, Anderson's stepfather, told CBS affiliate WANP that it was out of character for his stepson to not check in with his family during his stay in Florida. "We needed him back home. We wanted him back home. Having family is truly the key,' Henry said. Mary Anderson, the victim's mother, said in the same interview that her son has experienced mental health issues. 'I don't see him just randomly picking this particular place to go to, to travel to. So I feel as though it was someone that he chose to meet there,' she added. Mary remembered her son as someone who was full of life and loved to crochet. She alleged that her son's case was not taken seriously at first, saying, 'I thought no one cared about my missing Black boy.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Tucker, who said Anderson has been taking his medication, suspects something is amiss amid the news of the discovery and identification of remains. 'He would never hurt himself, and he knows how to swim. So, there's no way. I think it's foul play,' she told WXIA. The Clay County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in the investigation and said there is a $5,000 reward if a tip leads to an arrest or advances the case. Those with information are asked to call 904-264-6512 or use the SaferWatch app. If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- Yahoo
Man, 24, Vanishes After Traveling Out of State for Dating App Meet-Up. Weeks Later, His Remains Are Found
'We needed him back home," Nicholas Anderson's stepfather saidNEED TO KNOW The family members of Nicholas Anderson, 24, said they had not heard from their loved one after he went to Florida to see a man he met through a dating app in April Authorities said skeletal remains were found in May near the retention wall of a home on the St. Johns River in Fleming Island The remains were later identified as belonging to Anderson, the Clay County Sheriff's Office announced on Aug. 1The remains of a missing Atlanta man, whose family said traveled to Florida to meet a person off a dating app, have been identified. The Clay County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) in Florida said in a Friday, Aug. 1, news release that skeletal remains found in May near the retention wall of a home on the St. Johns River in Fleming Island belonged to Nicholas Lamont Anderson, 24. The positive identification was made in cooperation with the District 4 Medical Examiner's Office and with help from the community, authorities said. 'While this is a considerable step forward in this investigation, CCSO detectives are still seeking information about Mr. Anderson and circumstances leading up to the discovery of his body; specifically, the persons he encountered, his activities, and places he visited from April 1 to April 7, 2025,' the sheriff's office said. The Clay County Sheriff's Office has not released Anderson's cause of death or shared whether or not foul play is suspected. PEOPLE contacted the sheriff's office for comment on Tuesday, Aug. 5. In an interview with NBC affiliate WXIA, Anderson's aunt, Monica Tucker, said her nephew traveled to Jacksonville, Fla., to meet a man he had been corresponding with on a dating app. He had not returned home from that trip since April. Tucker said when Anderson did not show up, his family went to Jacksonville to meet the man from the app. She added that there were inconsistencies in the man's story, although authorities later cleared him. 'First, he said he didn't see him,' Tucker told WXIA. 'Then he said he went to the hotel to watch movies. And then he says he took them to go get cigarettes, and then he kept saying something about a pier.' Trommell Henry, Anderson's stepfather, told CBS affiliate WANP that it was out of character for his stepson to not check in with his family during his stay in Florida. "We needed him back home. We wanted him back home. Having family is truly the key,' Henry said. Mary Anderson, the victim's mother, said in the same interview that her son has experienced mental health issues. 'I don't see him just randomly picking this particular place to go to, to travel to. So I feel as though it was someone that he chose to meet there,' she added. Mary remembered her son as someone who was full of life and loved to crochet. She alleged that her son's case was not taken seriously at first, saying, 'I thought no one cared about my missing Black boy.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Tucker, who said Anderson has been taking his medication, suspects something is amiss amid the news of the discovery and identification of remains. 'He would never hurt himself, and he knows how to swim. So, there's no way. I think it's foul play,' she told WXIA. The Clay County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in the investigation and said there is a $5,000 reward if a tip leads to an arrest or advances the case. Those with information are asked to call 904-264-6512 or use the SaferWatch app. If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Yahoo
Bodies of missing shrimpers found in St. Johns River after extensive search
The bodies of two men have been located after multiple agencies searched the St. Johns River following reports of people falling into the river while shrimping on July 21, according to the Palatka Police Department. Authorities identified the two men as 20-year-old Wilbert Rivera Cifuentes and 21-year-old Deyfri Roblero Morales. Police said officers responded to the St. Johns River that evening after a call reporting a possible drowning. Investigators said a group of "five to six" men went into the water near the Palatka City Dock and Boat Ramp to retrieve an object. While in the water, two of the men, who reportedly were unable to swim, struggled before going under. Witnesses told police neither of the men resurfaced. Authorities immediately initiated a search and recovery operation, and around 10:30 the next morning, divers recovered the bodies of the two missing men. Members of the Putnam County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Marine Units assisted in search and recovery efforts. Tragedy on the St. Johns: 'Family now has some closure': 3-year-old Jacksonville boating accident victim is found Watching all the agencies come in and out of the water throughout the morning, Valerie Creeach from Interlachen says where the men fell in is her typical shrimping spot. She's concerned for her own safety while on the water. "Anybody who goes in this water way out, you aren't coming back," she said. "That's my whole thing, because I've seen so many stories, I know people go out in the water and they never come back. It's a sad thing because I like fishing here, like shrimping here, bringing the kids here." The Palatka Police Department is leading the investigation. This story was first published by Times-Union news partner First Coast News. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Bodies of drowned Palatka shrimpers are found in St. Johns River Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
15-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
Florida father, son rescue family of 5 and their dog from sailboat fire
A family and their dog are safe thanks to the quick actions of a Jacksonville father and son who rescued them after their sailboat caught fire. On Sunday, Michael Shillingford and his 8-year-old son Vincent enjoyed a day on the water near Julington Creek and the St. John's River. He said they were about to leave when his son saw something in the air. "My son mentioned that there was a boat that was having a barbecue on the back," he said. Jacksonville father and son race to the rescue Little did he know, there was a fire on the boat with five people and their dog onboard. "As I looked, I didn't quite see a barbecue, what I saw seemed like engine smoke and then shortly afterwards we saw fire coming from the stern of their boat," Shillingford said. He and his son immediately rushed over to help. "I could see the family was huddled up on the bow of their boat," Shillingford said. As they got closer, Shillingford said he realized they had to keep their distance because the fire was spreading. "So I threw out a stern line and the family with their life vests were able to jump in the water and grab the line and allow me to pull them away from the boat," he said. Shillingford said every family member had a life jacket on and so did the dog. A short time later, he said St. John County first responders arrived and put out the fire while making sure the family was safe. "The real thanks that I have are to the family that was prepared and all the officials that were coming. You could hear the sirens, you could hear the helicopters, you knew that help was on the way," he said. No injuries were reported and Florida Fish and Wildlife is investigating the cause of the fire.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Could Texas flash floods happen on St. Johns River in Florida? What the experts say
After flash floods in Texas killed at least 119 people and left dozens unaccounted for when the Guadalupe River surged following torrential rain on Fourth of July, it's worth wondering if the same catastrophic flooding could occur along the St. Johns River in Florida. Here's a look at what happened in Texas and what factors, if any, might impact a similar scenario along the 310 miles of the St. Johns River in Florida. Texas Hill Country is no stranger to extreme flooding. The Guadalupe has flooded more than a dozen times since 1978, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, but the Independence Day flood is among the worst in its history. Several factors came together at once — in one of the worst possible locations — to create the 'horrifying' scenario that dropped up to 16 inches of rainfall in the larger region over July 3-5, Alan Gerard, a recently retired storm specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told USA Today. Hill Country, the region in Central and South Central Texas, also is known as 'Flash Flood Alley,' for its propensity for fast and furious flooding when extreme rain falls. As bountiful moist air from the Gulf of America, renamed from the Gulf of Mexico, moves over the steep hills, it can dump heavy rains. The Balcones Escarpment, a geological feature which roughly parallels Interstate 35 in Texas, marks the edge of Flash Flood Alley, according to AccuWeather. The inactive fault zone formed a rise in the topography in the area, which enhances storm systems that pass over it, causing them to dump more rain there than they might elsewhere. The likelihood of flooding is exacerbated by the transition from elevated hill country to coastal plains, according to experts with the Lower Colorado River Authority. Additionally, the landscape is characterized by very thin soil that doesn't absorb much rain. Those factors combined with warm, moist air from the Gulf fuel storms, enabling them to dump lots of rain in a short amount of time on the dusty soil. Although Florida has no shortage of the moist tropical air that contributed to the rainfall that caused the catastrophic Texas floods, there's virtually no chance of flash floods along the St. Johns River, said Jessie Schaper, meteorologist and hydrology program manager at the National Weather Service in Melbourne. 'Absolutely not,' Schaper said of the potential likelihood of flash floods in Florida. 'We do not have the terrain here that they do in Texas Hill Country, so that type of thing we'd never see on the St. Johns,' she said. 'It is a very slow-moving river. It drains a large area, but it's essentially flat.' The St. Johns River has a very low elevation drop, less than 30 feet over its 310-mile length. That translates to an average drop of about 1-inch per mile, making it one of 'laziest" rivers in the world, according to the St. Johns River Water Management District. 'Think about water in a tray. That's really all that there is. It flows very slowly, and it takes a long time to drain the water out to the Atlantic. We don't see rainfall rushing down the side of a hill or mountain into the St. Johns River.' Another key difference between Texas and Florida is the soil, Schaper said. 'We could see a heavy rainfall event, but the topography of Florida is totally different than that area of Texas,' she said. 'We have very sandy soil and it absorbs water very quickly. Three inches of rain here looks very different than 3 inches out west, where there's really rocky soil.' At the same time, flooding has been a part of recent tropical storms and hurricanes from Ian and Nicole in 2022 to Milton this past fall, as anyone in Daytona Beach's historic Midtown neighborhood or along the St. Johns River near DeLand can attest. The highest historic crest of the St. Johns River near DeLand was 6.33 feet recorded on Oct. 11, 2022, during Tropical Storm Ian, according to the National Weather Service. Such inundations are different from the flash floods that ravaged Texas, Schaper said. 'We get concerned about it during hurricane season, of course, but it's not about a flash flood,' she said. 'It's more of a long-term flood that might last for weeks or months at a time, not so much the drastic rise of water that it was in Texas. 'During Milton we saw 15 inches of rain, and during Ian some locations had 20 inches,' she said, noting that those totals were in the range of the 16 inches that fell on the larger Texas Hill Country region over the holiday weekend. Although flash floods aren't a specific concern, Florida has become prone to hurricane-generated storm surges that have increasingly become dangerous flooding events with inundation. Whether from coastal storm surges or inland rising water, such events can pose just as much or more of a risk than hurricane winds. Reporter Dinah Pulver of USA Today contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Could Texas-style flash floods happen on Florida's St. Johns River?
