Teens and chaperone mysteriously vanish from fishing tournament on Tennessee lake

Two high school students participating in a bass fishing tournament and their chaperone have gone missing on a Tennessee lake and searchers believe the three perished, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said Wednesday.

On Wednesday, state officials said they were switching from a rescue operation to a “search and recovery” at Pickwick Lake.

The chaperone was identified by state officials as 43-year old Kenneth Driver.

The two teens, who have not been publicly named, are students at Obion County Central High School in Troy, Tennessee, WSMV reported. Both were 15, according to a press release.

State wildlife officers said their damaged boat was found empty “Monday morning on the Tennessee River below the dam,” about 100 miles east of Memphis.

“The preliminary investigation indicates ... the three occupants and the 20-foot bass boat went through the floodgates at Pickwick Dam,” state officials posted late Wednesday.

“The extensive damage to the boat, found near the Savannah bridge, the water flow, the water temperature, and air temps, have led us to believe there is no chance of survival,” the agency said Wednesday.

Tim Watkins, the Director of Schools for Obion County, told the Tennessee River Valley News that the chaperone is the 43-year-old father of one of the missing students.

The three ran into trouble early Saturday when their boat’s engine wouldn’t operate properly -- and that led to confusion over whether they participated in the fishing or gave up, Watkins told WKRN.

A parent of one of the students called a fishing team coach on Sunday to report their teen had not come home, according to RadioNWTN.com.

The three were officially reported missing around 9 p.m. Sunday, according to a state press release.

Searchers have reported “swift water conditions and inclement weather” on the lake during the operation, state wildlife officials said in a Facebook post.

The fishing team is called the OC Anglers, and it formed about seven years ago, according to the school’s website. It participates in about eight tournaments a year, including a state championship win in 2019, the website says.

This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 10:23 AM.