‘True hero’ drowns saving kid from TN river, cops say. ‘Will never be forgotten’
After days of searching, the body of a 31-year-old man who helped save a child from a fast-moving Tennessee river was found, officials said.
His “bravery — risking his life in an effort to save a child — will never be forgotten,” Memphis City Council Chairman J. Ford Canale said in a June 1 statement on Facebook. “In the face of danger, he chose to act, and his legacy as a true hero will forever be etched in the heart of our city.”
Rescuers responded to a call about the possible drowning at about 2 p.m. May 30 on the Wolf River near Walnut Grove 20 miles east of Memphis, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner said during a news conference.
Two men — who were on a sandbar with a group of 11 family members and friends — got in the river to help a struggling child, Buckner said. One of the men saved the child, but another — identified as 31-year-old Thaddeus Smiley — was swept away by a strong current, he said.
At the time of the search, the current was moving at 6 mph, creating “challenging and dangerous search conditions,” Buckner said.
The rescue efforts were paused at about 7 p.m. because it got too dark to effectively search and started the next day at 8 a.m., he said.
Smiley’s body was found at about 2:45 p.m. June 1 about half a mile from where he entered the river, Buckner said during a news conference that day.
“We wanted my nephew to come back to us safely more than anything in the world,” J.B. Smiley, Jr. said during the news conference. “We’re deeply grateful that folks continue to show up every single today, to send us prayers, continue to send us well wishes.”
The Wolf River flows into the Mississippi River from east of the Memphis metropolitan area.
This story was originally published June 2, 2025 at 11:36 AM with the headline "‘True hero’ drowns saving kid from TN river, cops say. ‘Will never be forgotten’."
