Crews call off search for reported body in Great Miami River in Butler County

Crews have discontinued a search for a reported body in the Great Miami River near Rentschler Forest, but Fairfield Twp.’s assistant fire chief said they crews may go out tomorrow “depending on weather conditions.”

On Sunday afternoon, a local fisherman reported seeing a body floating down the river but after several hours searching on Sunday and Monday, no body had been located.

EARLIER REPORT: Officials have not found body in Butler County reported by 911 caller as ‘older person’

“We may do another look tomorrow morning,” said Fairfield Twp. Assistant Fire Chief Matt Schumann. “Our thought is if there was a body, they are past our jurisdiction.”

The fisherman saw something like a person face-down floating down the Great Miami River near the Wayne-Madison bridge. According to the 911 caller, the man said he saw what “looked to be like a body floating down river. Older person, purple sweater, gray hair. Not 100 percent sure, but that’s what it looked like.”

Crews were out until just after 6 p.m. Sunday, when the search was called off for the day. The river was running swiftly and was a few feet higher than normal water levels, according to officials. They returned Monday morning before stopping the search.

The near-record rains in Butler County in recent days and weeks have made the river level several feet higher than normal, which also means it’s flowing faster.

Fairfield Twp. police told the Journal-News they have reached out to area jurisdictions about a possible missing person fitting the description given by the fisherman, but there are none.

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