Decatur County, Tenn.–The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has released the names of the three persons killed in a tragic boating accident on the Tennessee River in Decatur County on Saturday night.
The victims are identified as 57-year-old Cherie Denise Arnold from Bath Springs, 19-year-old Bryan Chayse Linton from Scotts Hill, and 18-year-old Chase Rushing Wulfert from Morris Chapel.
In a press release issued Sunday, the TWRA said preliminary investigation indicated the three were traveling in a Baja boat around 9 p.m. Saturday when it collided with a barge traveling downstream near Bath Springs. Ms. Arnold’s body was found at the scene, while the bodies of Linton and Wulfert were recovered during an hours-long search Sunday.
TWRA said multiple local agencies joined in the search which was conducted with surface and sonar scans.
According to the TWRA, the incident remains under investigation and raises the state’s total number of boating-related fatalities this year to 22.