Drowning victim found

By Uriah A. Kiser

Published: June 23, 2008

STAFFORD - Authorities have recovered the body of a man who drowned in the Rappahannock River just 25 feet from shore.

Terrance Carratura, 51, of Ferry Farms, was swimming with his family Sunday afternoon, just off of Enola Road, when he went missing in the river.

Authorities arrived on the scene within minutes of the 911 call and began searching the river for Carratura, according to Joseph Carratura, the victim’s son.

The search was suspended at 8 p.m. on Sunday night, but resumed Monday morning with at least eight divers from Stafford, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania counties assisting in the search.

Carratura was found in just 7 feet of water.

Three teams of divers began searching nearly 400 yards of the murky river bottom at 10 a.m. Monday, where Carratura was last seen, according to Det. Brian Smyser, with the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. Because of high tides the river’s depth was up to 14 feet in some areas.

Divers, who were equipped with underwater radio communication devices, searched the river bottom in a systematic pattern, moving west toward the Chatham Bridge.

“When we are on a recovery effort, we tend to be a little more methodical in our search,” said Kevin Scott, a diver with the Stafford Fire and Rescue Department.

Scott said an initial rescue operation only lasts for about an hour, and then the search becomes a recovery operation.

There were many potential dangers in the water Monday, such as animals, fishhooks and lines left in the water by fishermen, and the wooden remains of an old ferry dock, according to Scott.

The site is private property, not operated by the county. Joseph Carratura said his family liked to swim in the area because it was close to their home.

This latest drowning marks the second in less than a month, when on June 9 the body of Gilberto Lopez Cortez, 17, of Maryland, was recovered at Old Mill Park in Falmouth. He too went missing in the river while swimming with his church group.

Stafford officials launched a new signage program at county parks along the river, in response to the drowning death of Cortez, warning swimmers of the potential dangers of the river.

Officials said the river’s strong currents could have been a factor in his death.