Girl, 9, pulled from Chattahoochee River dies
By Alexis Stevens, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A 9-year-old girl pulled from the Chattahoochee River on Friday evening has died.
The child, who has been identified as Anna Vanhorn, of Peachtree City, had been under water for more than an hour when rescuers spotted her life preserver in the water, Capt. Jason Shivers with the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office said. She was transported to Northside Hospital-Forsyth, where she later was pronounced dead.
Vanhorn had been tubing in the Settles Bridge Park area, near the Forsyth and Gwinnett county line. Rescuers from both counties assisted with the search for the girl.
There were two adults and three minors in the Chattahoochee River with Vanhorn at the time of incident, officials said.
Authorities told Channel 2 that it appears the 9-year-old got caught in a water release from the Buford Dam.
According to the Buford Dam water release recorded message by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Friday's release was scheduled to begin at 2:55 p.m. and end at 5:10 p.m. The message warns that in the event of a release, water levels below Buford Dam "are subject to rapid rise and turbulent flows and are dangerous" from the dam south to the Ga. 20 bridge.
Authorities received the 911 call at 4:32 p.m. An adult and two minors had run to a nearby home for help after realizing the 9-year-old wasn't with them, Channel 2 said.
The incident is being investigated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Return for updates.
--Staffer David Ibata contributed to this article.
Alexis Stevens
Alexis Stevens is a member of the Crime and Public Safety team.
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