Body found in Potomac River during search for swimmer, officials say

A body found in the Potomac River is believed to be that of a missing swimmer.

On Monday, May 27, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer explained in a video on X, formerly Twitter, that the search began on Friday, May 24, after “receiving a report regarding a couple of swimmers who were attempting to swim from Virginia to Maryland.”

“One of them, in distress, fell underwater and has since disappeared, presumed drowned. Searches have taken place in recent days,” Piringer added.

Piringer shared on X that authorities were initially dispatched to the scene around 8:45 p.m. Friday and conducted an “exhaustive search by land, by water, [and] air.”

On Sunday, May 26, search teams used sonar and located what appeared to be a body “underwater, wedged among rocks near Sandy Landing, just south of the Great Falls,” Piringer said in his video.

“This morning, [search and rescue crews] We were going to go back and sort this out, get the body, but a local kayaker came and reported that the body was in the water and this body has since been found“, Piringer added.

Noting that an investigation into the death is ongoing, the spokesperson added: “We believe this is the swimmer who is believed to have drowned and has been missing since Friday.”

The swimmer has not been identified by authorities.

According to the National Park Service, the Potomac River has an average depth of 27 feet and an average flow of 10,000 cubic feet per second.

The agency states on its website that it is illegal to swim or wade in the river and that those who commit the offense can be fined $200, appear in federal court and arrested.

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Department kicked off its annual Potomac River Safety Campaign on Friday. Captain Andrew Bell of the MCFRS Water Rescue Team also highlighted what makes the river dangerous in an interview shared on the organization's blog.

“The river moves quickly and there are a lot of hazards that you can get stuck against, where your feet get stuck. And the trees create what we call a sieve effect where, if you get pulled into it, you can very easily caught and trapped by your body Even wading in the river can lead to a dangerous situation,” he said.

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“Mud, silt and pollutants make it impossible to see more than a few centimeters below the water's surface. The river bottom is too often underestimated,” Bell added.