A tragedy led into the Labor Day weekend as a fisherman spotted a body floating Friday in White County. It is believed to be that of an area man missing since July.
At about 5 PM on Friday, September 2, 2022, a man fishing on the White River in the area of Georgetown in White County spotted what he believed to be a deceased person floating in the river, the White County Sheriff’s Office said in a post to social media. The fisherman marked the location and contacted authorities.
Deputies from the White County Dive Team arrived and met the fisherman in Georgetown. The team searched the area indicated. Deputies were unable to locate the body and ended the search after dark. The dive team renewed the search the following morning, Saturday, September 3. At about 11:45 AM, the body of a deceased person was located about two river miles below the Georgetown boat launch, where the current had pushed the deceased against an exposed tree branch in the river. Deputies retrieved the body and brought it to the boat ramp for transport by the Coroner’s Office.
The White County Sheriff’s Office has sent the body to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for identification.
“We do not want to rush to conclusions and so we await the results of the identification from the crime lab before closing any missing persons case, but we suspect the recovered to be Mr. [Darren] Bright. The deceased was wearing blue jeans, black suspenders, and a camo shirt which is clothing Mr. Bright was last seen in.”
White County Sheriff Phillip Miller
On July 26, 2022, Darren Bright, 62 of Pleasant Plains was reported as missing by his family. He was last seen on July 14 as he left his home, the sheriff’s office previously said.
On July 28, Bright’s vehicle, a brown 2005 Ford pickup was located near a boat ramp off Mallard Pond Road on the Henry Gray Wildlife Management in Bald Knob. Search efforts were conducted on land and on the river by the White County Sheriff’s Office, White County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission but Bright was unable to be located. He was last seen wearing blue jeans, a camouflaged shirt and camo ball cap, black suspenders and black tennis shoes.
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