Water search suspended for missing Clarksville 12-Year-Old. Weather concerns cited

Water rescue efforts for a 12-year-old boy in the Billy Dunlop Park area have been suspended as of May 20, as authorities cite weather concerns.

Clarksville Fire Rescue announced the suspension, along the West Fork of the Red River, as weather forecasts predicted severe weather during the afternoon and evening hours of May 20.

The National Weather Service in Nashville issued a tornado watch for much of Middle Tennessee through 10 p.m.

“Weather conditions and safety concerns, rapidly rising water levels and dangerously strong currents have forced us to redirect our efforts from the water to bank patrols,” Deputy Chief Jim Eley said in a statement.

Until weather conditions improve, Fire Rescue and other departments will focus on other avenues of rescue, Eley said.

Search teams plan to meet early May 21 to reassess conditions, with plans to expand the search and adapt strategies.

The search for the boy has been ongoing since May 18.

At about 1:46 p.m. that day, Clarksville Fire Rescue, Clarksville Police Department and Montgomery County EMS responded to a water rescue call at Billy Dunlop Park.

The 12-year-old’s father reported his son was missing and last seen in the river.

A dive team was deployed, but suspended operations later that evening before resuming the search at 8:30 a.m. on May 19.

City, county, and state officials have been involved with the search, which has continued into May 20.

Billy Dunlop Park, Robert Clark Park and the Clarksville Blueway have been closed until further notice as the search continues.

Multiple agencies are involved in the search, including:

• Clarksville Police Department

• Montgomery County Dive Team

• Tennessee Wildfire Resources Agency

• Stewart County Fire Rescue

• Cumberland Search and Recovery K9 Unit

• Waterdogs Scuba and Safety

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Weather threat causes pause in search for missing Clarksville boy, 12