Missing Boy in Lake Jocassee

This entry was posted on 6/10/2007 6:37 PM and is filed under General.

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• 6/12/2007 2:17 PM Debbie wrote:
  I have been reading the news accounts about attempting to find little Joshua. I know that Bill Routh is involved with the search. If anyone can find the boat, Bill can. He knows the lake better than anyone.
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• 6/14/2007 11:06 PM lisa wrote:
  my prayers are with this family.i can not imagine the greive they are experiencing either.
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• 6/17/2007 3:34 PM Debbie wrote:
  I hate it when politics overrule common sense. And PLEASE don't interpret what I am about to say as meaning that I, and everyone else, don't appreciate the selfless days these people have given in the search for little Joshua. However, it's one thing to search -- it's another thing to search SMARTLY.
  
  It seems to me that you should KNOW the place in which you are searching. Would anyone in his right mind get on a horse and ride around in the woods if he had no idea what the area was like or what road leads where? I hope not. The smart thing would be to hire a guide. Then why are the very people who are searching for Joshua the ones who reportedly do not know Lake Jocassee and the terrain below?? Some have never even set foot on the lake until last week.
  
  I'm a scuba diver, and I KNOW what it takes to do these deep, decompression dives -- that's why I don't do them! I admire their bravery in descending and searching in the darkness (and yes, it's pitch black at 125-200+ feet, not to mention cold). But knowing how to dive deep is not the only element to be considered here. Why are they not allowing SEASONED DIVERS WHO ROUTINELY DIVE JOCASSEE? Why are they searching in forests so thick that the ROV tangles in the branches? If the ROV can't get through, a boat certainly can't. It's my understanding that in this instance you search on TOP of the trees, not in them. You also look for areas where silt has been disturbed (and there's plenty of it on the bottom of Lake Jocassee). If you see a tree with partially bare branches, stripped of the typical inch or so of silt, then you carefully search every inch of that area. Every day that goes by is precious time slipping away. The silt begins to settle back on the limbs, and the possibility of locating the boat's position begins to fade.
  
  This is not a campaign to rally support for certain divers because they are my friends. It's a campaign to ask people to wake up. After 10 days of searching - and over 300 people - it's my opinion it's time to bring in the Jocassee experts: Bill Routh, Charles Johnson, and possibly Tom Sawicki. These guys scooter through these forests just for fun. They are all skilled in search and rescue, in extreme deep diving (well over 300 feet), and in navigating the mountainous terrain below the lake. they already have a plan. They know how to search SMARTLY for little Joshua. If it were my child in the lake, these are the men I would entrust to search and bring my child home.
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• 6/22/2007 9:19 PM Roseann wrote:
  This was a very eye opening message. Why would the authorities not allow every person qualified available and willing to help this family?
  Sad that politics gets in the way....
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  1. 6/23/2007 6:47 AM Jocasseegirl wrote:
     

     Ego, maybe?  It's very sad, especially in the light of the fact that Joshua was found yesterday.  Who found him?  Bill Routh - doing a search on his own.  Bill has the experience that was desperately needed to find that boy and the boat.  This family could possibly have been spared 2 weeks of pure agony if Bill had been allowed to participate.  When I think of all the manpower, resources, etc., that have been expended in this effort - and because Bill was tagged as "unqualified" because he isn't an official member of the team, it really makes me angry.  I know that the people involved were doing the best they could - they really were - and I don't belittle their efforts one bit - but it's obvious that they deliberately excluded a very qualified person. 
     
     I'm glad this is over.  It's been very hard on everyone involved, and I know the family is deeply relieved.

     
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• 7/15/2007 6:54 PM Jim Dorchak wrote:
  Thank you for your prayers, and web page.
  
  The Dorchaks
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• 2/24/2009 12:53 PM Phyllis wrote:
  I enjoyed watching the Jocassee segment on the 'it's news to me' program that aired 2/20/02 on HLN. I only wish it could have been an entire hour of programming on Jocassee alone.
  
  My great aunt and uncle used to have a cabin between White Water and Thompson rivers, on the Thompson. I love to hear my grandmother and great aunt's talk about their many wonderful memories they have of Jocassee Valley, playing in the rivers and taking very long walks (my great aunt walked to Salem once). I barely remember going there as a child. I was 8 when the valley was flooded but I am captivated by all their stories, and yours too. I love your book and refer back to it often to look at where different landmarks were located and to reference names of those that lived in or had property in the valley.
  
  My husband and I go to Jocassee often to fish and enjoy the cool water on really hot days. As we are skimming in the boat up the White Water or Thompson Rivers, I always wonder what lies beneath and where certain landmarks and homes were located.
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