August 17, 2015 - Into the depths of Toledo Bend divers searched on Thursday morning, August 13, 2015 for three vehicles just off Swede Johnson [SRA #1] near Joaquin.
According to Shelby County Sheriff Willis Blackwell, the DeSoto Parish fire District #1 Toledo Bend Search and Recovery Dive Team was testing new side sonar equipment in the lake when during their test they located a boat and three vehicles recently. As a result of this encouraging find, authorities and the dive team converged on the area Thursday to try and bring the vehicles from their watery grave.
The dive team, assisted by the DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Department and Shelby County Sheriff's Department, dove to the location on the vehicles and connected cables to the vehicles to drag them out of the water. Smith Towing and Recovery assisted the divers in attempting to remove the automobiles from the water.
For five-and-a-half hours attempts were made to bring the vehicles back to the surface, but to no avail, as the vehicles had been under the water for so long they were far too rusted to establish a solid connection. One attempt to haul one vehicle to the surface presented a bumper, which authorities guessed was from a 60s or 70s model. Once it was determined the automobiles were to rusted to bring to the surface, further salvage attempts were halted.
Thomas Houston, a representative of Fire District #1, explained the new equipment was a Lowrance HD S12 which was recently added to their dive barge, "While our dive team is housed at DeSoto parish fire District #1 its members are comprised of trained divers from many areas and departments in DeSoto parish including members of the Sheriffs Office. Bienville's dive team also was present for Thursdays dive."
Shelby County Today was on scene during the dive and, just like everyone else there, eagerly awaited the resurfacing of the vehicles. Although they were not brought back to the light of day, images were captured by the dive team's sonar and are featured with this story. One image depicts a boat located by the sonar and Houston stated sonar measurements approximate the boat at 60 feet long by 30 feet wide.
No identifying information was reported to have been recovered from the vehicles; meaning whatever secrets they may hold remain at the river bottom.
The above images, courtesy of Toledo Bend Search and Recovery Dive Team, are clickable to a larger version of the same image.
