JEFFERSON COUNTY • Rescue crews this afternoon found the body of a swimmer who drowned in the Big River at Rockford Beach Park near House Springs.
People saw the man go under about 1:30 p.m., said Deputy Chief Tom Lakin of the High Ridge Fire Department.
Rescue crews including divers searched for him and found his body about 4:15 p.m. near where he was last seen.
Lakin said that part of the river has a very strong current and is near a dam. He said the victim was about 20 years old.
The river flows between cliffs and over rock outcroppings, according to a 2007 Suburban Journals story.
“It looks deceptively calm and gentle, but the entire Big River is swift and filled with undercurrents,” the story says.
The Jefferson County Parks Department also warns about the dangerous conditions on its website about the Rockford Beach Park, saying the water is swift-moving and that strong currents produce dangerous swimming conditions.