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Posted at: 07/27/2009 9:03 AM | WHEC.com Search continues for missing Corning man
Police say it’s gone from a search and rescue to a recovery effort. O’Dell's parents, wife and children as well as close friends were there today. They did not want to appear on camera. They just want closure. Steuben County Undersheriff Ray Dell said, “It's a very large area. We have five boats out in the water now and we're trying everything we can.” Dell says they've been searching since 7 a.m. Scuba teams, sonar even search dogs have been looking for the body of 45-year-old Richard O’Dell. Police say O’Dell fell off the back of a boat around 6 p.m. Saturday evening and almost immediately went underwater. His two friends in the boat circled back, one dove in but they couldn't find him. Since then, his family has been at the lake, waiting for answers. Dell said, “They've maintained a vigil since they were first notified. They're here now, they're under a tent, and they stay all night. They only ask one thing, is everybody to pray. They just really want to find him.” One problem has been the lake's depth. There was a sonar hit this afternoon at 50 feet that turned out to be a tree. Police say they'll try another spot, more than 100 feet deep. “That requires a totally different dive team. The dive team for the deep water can only go down for 10 minutes. So we have to be pretty accurate, get them down to that spot and see if they can find anything and then come back up.” Police say all they'll continue to search the shore and water and come back tomorrow if they have to. “We just keep going as long as we can until we fully exhaust what we have for good, solid leads and just wait.” Dell said they talked to several witnesses who said all three on the boat had been at a social event at a nearby restaurant and bar earlier that night and now police are also investigating whether alcohol was a factor. Police say they'll keep searching till about dusk tonight. They say O’Dell was able to swim but he was not wearing a life jacket. For more Rochester, N.Y. news go to our website www.whec.com.
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Print Story
Family members of a missing man are keeping a watch day and night on Keuka Lake. For the third day police searched the lake for Richard O'Dell, a Corning man who disappeared in to the water after falling off the back of a boat Saturday night.