RedactedNarrative: On 4/25/15, at about 12:45am, the operator of vessel 1 was fishing below the gaston dam on the roanoke rapids lake. At that time, the gaston dam was generating, which caused the water below the dam in roanoke rapids lake to become very turbulent due to the discharge from the dam. A witness anchored below the dam stated that the operator of vessel 1 approached the base of the dam near the turbulent waters and threw his cast net at the edge of the dam in an attempt to catch bait. The operator threw his net and then ran his vessel back away from the dam. The witness stated that the operator of vessel 1 did this three times. The witness stated he heard the operator make a fourth attempt. On the fourth attempt, he heard the motor of vessel 1 accelerate, and then he heard a loud crash. The witness stated that the operator ran his vessel into a pylon near the dam. He then saw the operator's vessel move toward the dam at a slow rate of speed. The witness called 911 and attempted to locate the operator with the use of a spot light. About 15 minutes after the 911 call was made, the gaston dam stopped generating. The witness continued to search for the missing operator. The roanoke valley rescue squad and littleton fire department responded to the call. The roanoke valley rescue and the littleton fire department continued to search for the missing operator and also transported the vessel to the dominion power boat ramp. It was noted that the vessel had severe damage to the bow and the rope to the cast net was wrapped around the prop. It also was noted that a bait tank and barrell in the vessel were thrown toward the front of the boat and the cast net was trapped between the bait tank. It also was noted that the throttle handle was positioned at about 3/4 throttle. 
  
  This search for the operator continued for several days. Many fire department and search and rescue teams from other parts of north carolina assisted in the search. After seven days of searching, the operator was located floating in the water near the dam on the north side of the lake. When the operator was found, he was wearing a black t-shirt with a camo shirt over the top of it, blue jeans, and a green bib type rain suit. It also was noted that the operator was not wearing a life jacket. The operator's body was taken to the halifax regional medical center, and it was later transported to vidant medical center in greenville, north carolina for an autopsy. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. 
  
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  please note: this accident report will be updated as more information is provided.