Memorial Day incident: 2 women missing in Virginia after paddleboard group went over dam, police say

Two women are missing in Virginia after a Memorial Day gathering on the James River took a turn for the worse.

Lauren E. Winstead, 23, of Henrico County and Sarah E. Erway, 28, of Chesterfield County, were listed as missing by Henrico County police following a rescue effort near Bosher’s Dam in Richmond, local news channel WAVY-TV 10 reported.

The Richmond Fire Department said during a press conference Monday evening a group of 12 people were riding in rafts and on paddleboards when they went over the dam. One person managed to get themselves to safety and nine others were rescued by civilian kayakers, officials said.

Two women were still missing, the officials added.

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“After a very thorough search today, this evening, we ceased operations this evening because of nightfall. We will start our search efforts tomorrow morning, first thing in the morning,” said Assistant Fire Chief Jeffrey Segal.

The rescue efforts resumed at 7 a.m. Tuesday but the women remain missing, 8News reported.

According to the report, emergency crews will resume their search at 7 a.m. Wednesday.

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Finn Gardner, a resident living near where the group fell, told WWBT they were glad they were able to help the group and remained hopeful the other two women would be found.

“So, we ran out there, and we were trying to help get people out of the water and make sure that everyone was accounted for … Unfortunately, we couldn’t find two of them,” Gardner said. “I’m hoping that they’re in someone’s house somewhere trying to find a way to contact their group. You got to hope for the best.”

 

Henrico police are urging residents to avoid the area and to contact them with any information regarding the missing women.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.