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On August 2, 2005 BARC responded to a water search resulting in BARC's canines Alley and Red both indicating on the location of the missing man, which allowed Maryland Natural Park Police divers to make the recovery the next morning. MLP
Man's Body Recovered From Broadford Lake Today The body of a Mtn. Lake Park man missing since Monday was recovered from Broadford Lake at approximately 9 a.m. this morning, according to the Maryland Natural Resources Police and Oakland Police Department. Although by law the body must be examined at the State Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore, authorities at the scene said they do not believe foul play was involved. James Delford Oliver Sr., 56, was fishing in a canoe Monday evening before his two children, who had been playing on the beach, had noticed that the canoe was empty. "His children looked up and saw him, and when they looked back again the canoe was empty," said NRP spokesman Cpl. Ken Turner, who reported that the canoe was recovered with the electric motor in gear and Oliver's fishing gear and three life jackets still aboard. As witnesses began a search at the scene, the incident was reported to Garrett 911 shortly after 8:30 p.m., and the search was soon joined by a number of emergency personnel from several volunteer fire and rescue companies. Searchers combed the lake and its shoreline until 12:30 a.m. The search resumed by 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, and before the day ended personnel were able to narrow their search field by more than half of the 78-acre lake. "The lake isn't too deep, maybe 10-15 feet in many parts, but there's 2-3 feet of thick grasslike vegetation growing from the bottom," Turner said. "That markedly curtailed visibility toward the lower reaches of the water." After another full day of searching yesterday, and a total of over 40 hours of active searching, Oliver's body was recovered this morning in the vicinity of the dam, in 10-12 feet of water upstream from where his canoe was found by Natural Resources Police personnel, Turner said. Numerous agencies and volunteers aided in the search effort, according to Oakland police chief John Sines, including the Oakland, Deer Park, and Deep Creek fire departments, the rescue squads, Maryland State Police helicopters, Natural Resources divers, and two teams of human scent-detecting dogs from Bay Area Recovery Canines and Mid-Atlantic Dogs. Oakland area resident Jody Friend, a friend of the Oliver family, assisted each day with his underwater camera. "This has been a community-wide effort," said Oakland police chief John Sines. "We are glad that now the family can move on, and we greatly appreciate their understanding and patience throughout this ordeal. They hung in right there with us the entire time. We are glad that now they can have some closure." Obituary information will appear next week. |
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