Body of 2nd missing fisherman recovered; all occupants of boat identified

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The body of a second missing fisherman was recovered late Saturday morning in the North Fork of the White River, and all of the Missouri men occupying the overturned boat have been identified by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. According to the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office, the bodies of 60-year-old Robert Smith of Drury and 32-year-old Michael Dunlap of Norwood were located near the Tecumseh access.

The highway patrol states Dunlap and Smith were in a boat, along with 38-year-old Shannon Newton of Dora, Friday morning when it drifted downstream, struck a log from the bank into the river and overturned. All three occupants were ejected from the boat, and it sank into the water. Newton was able to swim safely to the shore, and when Ozark County deputies arrived, he said he last saw the other two males down the river from his location. The first body of one of the missing fishermen was discovered around 5:30 Friday evening, and the second body was found around 11:48 Saturday morning. Smith and Dunlap were both pronounced dead on the scene by the Ozark County Coroner. The reports do not indicate whose body was found on each day.

The Ozark County Sheriff’s Office and the Missouri State Highway Patrol were assisted by Life Call of Gainesville, the West Plains Fire Department, the Region G Command Center, the Bakersfield Fire Department, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Lick Creek Fire Department.

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