Body of drowning victim pulled from murky waters

After hours of searching the murky Ochlockonee River, divers finally found the body of a man who slipped off a sand bar and drowned in southern Grady County.
Felton Leon Moore, 36, was socializing with family and friends near Dickey Ferry Landing Sunday when the accident happened around 7 p.m. Moore’s 21-year-old daughter told authorities that her father was standing on a sand bar in waist deep water when he slipped into the river.
A family friend told officers he jumped into the river when he saw Moore struggling to stay afloat. The friend and Moore went under water together, but the friend was able to push Moore out of the water. Unfortunately, Moore slipped back into the water and the friend was unable to catch him, according to Grady County Sheriff Harry Young.
Divers from Thomasville Police Department, Thomas County Sheriff’s Office, Thomas County Fire and Rescue, DNR and Thomas County EMS searched Sunday until poor weather conditions halted the efforts. The search resumed Monday morning with fresh assistance from Decatur County Sheriff Wiley Griffin who brought a diver from his office.
Finally, at 4:30 p.m., divers found Moore’s body wedged under a tree in about 10-15 feet of water about 90 feet from where witnesses say he went under.
Moore’s body will be sent to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab for an autopsy. Moore was a resident of Climax.