COVINGTON — The bodies of a 38-year-old man and 14-year-old boy have been recovered from the Alcovy River at Factory Shoals Park after they went missing Tuesday, according to a Newton County Sheriff’s Office news release. The body of Antonio Perry, 38, was found Wednesday, and Dejerin Grier, 14, of Covington, was found Thursday morning.
According to a report on 11Alive News, Perry’s daughter said he and Grier, his girlfriend’s son, were fishing Tuesday when Grier jumped into the water and Perry jumped in to save him, but neither resurfaced. Perry’s daughter said her father was a good swimmer.
The Newton County Dive team was called out to search for the two, but the search was called off for darkness Tuesday night and resumed Wednesday.
Divers were able to recover the body of Perry, but did not find Grier before the search was called off again Wednesday evening due to the threat of severe weather in the area.
The search resumed early Thursday morning and Grier’s body was found several hours later.
Five people have drowned since 2009 during the spring and summer months at Factory Shoals, where the current washes rapidly over the rocks, especially following rainy weather. There are signs posted warning visitors to “swim at your own risk.”
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