Drowning victim recovered Friday

Published 8:53 am Tuesday, May 7, 2024

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A Castleberry man’s body was recovered from Conecuh River early Friday by divers, according to Escambia County Sheriff Heath Jackson.
The victim was identified as Rickey Robinson of Castleberry.
Jackson said the 911 call was received in his office Monday afternoon between 4 and 5 p.m. and his staff responded quickly to the report of a possible drowning.
“We responded to the call and began our work to locate the victim,” Jackson said. “We received help from several agencies in our search that continued on Tuesday and Wednesday.”
Jackson said Volunteer Fire Departments from Dixie, Bradley, Roberts and Damascus assisted with the search effort as well as rescue squads from Escambia and Monroe Counties.
“We had dive teams from Baldwin County come in to assist with the search,” Jackson said. “The Daphne Search and Rescue crews also assisted in the search.
Jackson said the victim’s body was discovered shortly after 7 a.m. on Friday morning.
“That area is a dangerous place with swift currents,” Jackson said. “The water is sometimes 50 to 60 feet deep in some areas. We don’t recommend swimming in that area at all.”
Jackson offered thanks to all agencies working in the efforts to recover Robinson’s body.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family,” Jackson said. “This was just a tragic incident.”
No other information concerning any additional circumstances in the incident have been released.
McGowin Bridge is located in the far-eastern portion of Escambia County and crosses the Conecuh River.
Funeral arrangements for Robinson had not been released as of presstime Tuesday afternoon. He was a native a life-long resident of Castleberry.