Cowden, IL-(Effingham Radio)- An Effingham man drowned in the Kaskaskia River on Friday while attempting to save a fellow kayaker.
Family has identified him as 35 year old Wallace Otto Darkow, Jr., of Effingham, IL.
It was said that Darkow drowned while saving a woman from a fast moving current, but was tragically caught on sunken timber and was unable to save himself.
He was the father of five children as well as a grandfather to one.
According to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department they had been searching for Darkow since Saturday.
A dive team was dispatched at approximately 5:15pm on Saturday and a search of the river was conducted until midnight.
Rescuers resumed the search at 8am on Sunday and it continued throughout the day.
The dive team, thought to have located the body of Darkow, is still having troubles with the recovery process; due to the current conditions of the river.
They resumed recovery efforts at 8am on Monday.
Efforts are still underway.
UPDATE: The Shelby County Dive Team Commander stated that the body of Darkow was eventually located downstream from where they had initially located it.
The body was recovered beyond the Route 128 bridge that overlooks The Kaskaskia River.
It is believed that at some point during the efforts to remove the build-up of logs and other debris, where the body was initially discovered, the body of Darkow was freed and carried downstream.
There is not currently an accurate estimation of when this may have occurred, as crews originally found Darkow in the debris build-up on Sunday with the use of underwater cameras.
Reports state that the body was recovered from the Kaskaskia River at approximately 9pm on Thursday, July 5th, 2018.
The Shelby County Coroner officially identified the victim, 35 year old, Wallace O. Darkow, Jr., of Effingham, IL.
Darkow’s death was officially pronounced at 10:40 P.M. on Thursday, July 5th, 2018.
An autopsy will be conducted on Friday, July 6th, 2018 by the McLean County Coroner’s Office in Bloomington.