Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 6, 1995 TAG: 9504060066
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
Mike Melvin, 28, was fishing with two other men March 19 when he fell off their boat. His friends say they tried to save him by tossing a rope but Melvin went underwater and wasn't seen again.
The incident happened near the Pulaski-Montgomery County line just below where the Little River empties into the New River. The boaters were 60 to 75 feet offshore, in water 10 feet deep or less.
Divers, dogs and emergency workers conducted an exhaustive search of the area for days.
"Where they said the body went down ... there's no body there," said Sheriff Ralph Dobbins.
Rumor and speculation that Melvin may not have drowned fueled tips to the Sheriff's Office that investigators must check out, the sheriff said.
"We've had to run down every one of those stories," he said.
While there's no evidence that Melvin didn't drown, nothing can be ruled out until his body is found, Dobbins said.
Such procedure is common in police work. For instance, reported suicides are investigated as homicides until a suicide can be proven.
"It would be very foolish not to look into everything. We want to cover every avenue," the sheriff said.
"Numerous agencies have been involved trying to search for the body," Dobbins said. But "in no stretch are we trying to say the body's not in the water. ..."
"A lot of rumor has come out, a lot of innuendo has come out and we are compelled to investigate this stuff.
"Right now, other than rumor, we have nothing to [lead us to believe] that foul play was involved in this," Dobbins said.
While some people believe Melvin's body should have surfaced by now if he drowned, others say the body will not re-emerge until the water gets warmer. It also is possible that his body has become snagged on debris.
Keywords:
FATALITY
by CNB