Based on information to date:  On July 16, 2010 at approximately 22:03 hrs a two vessel collision occurred on Kentucky Lake near Tennessee river mile(TRM) 90.0, and just south of Richland Creek.  

V1 is a 17' 1993 Astro bass boat owned and operated by the same person and also occupied by one other person.  V2 is a 168' Dravo twin screw motor vessel pushing 25 barges and operated by captain and occupied by 8 crew members  V2 is owned by Ingram Barge Co.  operator and passenger were involved in a bass fishing tournament that had launched out of boat dock in Humphreys county, TN at approx. 19:00.  

According to information given by operator1's brother, he found V1 floating in the middle of the river channel near the Shirley light and daymark at TRM 90.9 at approx. 00:15 to 00:30 on July 17, 2010.  Vessel1 operator and occupant were not in the boat and the vessel was damaged.  Operator1's brother notified authorities and Officer went to Mason's boat dock to meet him and they proceeded out to V1 to tow it in and secure it as evidence.  

TWRA, Humphreys county sheriff's department, rescue squad, and fire dept. personnel searched for the two missing men, but they were not found.  Officers were called to work the investigation also.  Upon looking at the boat, the damage seemed to indicate that V1 had impacted something and then had been passed over, or it passed under something.  Based on the coloration of the damage, and that it only appeared damaged on the upper surfaces, and the fact that a rusty substance was found in the floor of V1, then it was suspected that a barge may have been involved.  A shoe, and a life jacket were found against the old railroad levee near Eva, TN approx. 6.0 miles upstream from where the boat was recovered.  Another life jacket was found on the east facing bank of an island approx. 8.0 miles upstream from the spot where the boat was recovered.  One of the life jackets was identified by Operator1's brother as being his brother's.  

This expanded the potential search area to include a few miles upstream of where the jackets and shoe were recovered downstream to where the boat had been found.  By checking with Pickwick, Kentucky, and Barkley Dam lock operators, and also the railroad bridge operator at Hwy 70 near New Johnsonville, 4 motor vessels were identified that would fit the time window of the accident.  TWRA and USCG personnel began stopping and talking with each of the captain's of the motor vessels.  One of the vessels to be investigated was the Robert C. Loedding.  

Officers first contacted the Loedding at 10:07 on July 17, 2010 at TRM 167.  The Loedding was upbound toward Pickwick Dam.  Officers could see transfer marks on the front of barge # ING 2103 that indicated the barge had come into contact with something.  The decision was made to stop the Loedding at Pickwick Dam to further investigate.  Photographs of the transfer marks were taken by officers and they retrieved 4 items from the water that was floating between the barges.  A broken fishing rod, two packs of lures, and a piece of plywood were collected as evidence.  Upon describing the evidence to the families of V1 occupants, the families confirmed that three of the items were consistant with the equipment and bait that both men used.  The piece of plywood could not be confirmed to belong to V1.  The captain and crew were interviewed by USCG and officers.  The captain and the crew stated that they had no knowledge of anything that had come into contact with the front of barge # ING 2103.  Officers collected samples of the transfer marks as evidence from barge ING 2103.  Upon a closer examination, they also found hairs and a piece of tissue on the front of the barge.  The hairs and tissue...
NEW JOHNSONVILLE              