Body of drowning victim found in Teton River
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FREMONT COUNTY — The body of a Brigham Young University-Idaho student who drowned in the Teton River was found Monday morning.
Thomas Calvin Willie, 21, had been missing since Friday, June 14. The Malad man was floating with a group of friends near Monkey Rock when Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries said his body became caught near a dam where the rapids are particularly strong.
Jean-Luc Lazoore, a BYU-Idaho sophomore, was one of the 10 others floating with Willie. He told the BYU-Idaho Scroll that the river appeared safe and calm the entire way until they saw the diversion dam.
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Another group member and Willie’s best friend, Robert Wray, exited the water to examine the drop. Wray then warned the group they should get out of the water to avoid the dam.
“By that time, most of us were able to get out,” Lazoore said. “Some of us were really struggling to get out on time. The water was starting to pick up … but Cal was already too close.”
Rescue crews have spent over a week looking for Willie’s body. Specific details of where he was located on the river have not been released.