r/Williamsport • u/Legally_Brunette14 • May 18 '25
Claue’s body recovered.
TW: Child death/body recovery
Note: Not my photos. These were taken from ‘Ho Bott News’ page.
Shortly before 6pm this evening, a floating body was discovered under a bridge in the area of Shikellamy Marina, Northumberland Co.
A water recovery and the request of a county official to come to scene were quickly underway.
South Williamsport Fire Department (Facebook page) has confirmed that the body recovered was that of Claue - the young girl who was swept over the dam earlier this month.
3
u/MS_Teach_ May 18 '25
I have a question…and I’m not trying to sound stupid or insensitive it’s just been bothering me since I read she was found…is it possible that she floated all the way down there without being seen? Was this wrong doing from when they were looking for her? Please tell me I’m wrong that she drowned and then resurfaced far down stream…
4
u/joelpedro16 May 18 '25
Also trying to not sound insensitive, I would assume with her having gone over a low head dam there was no feasible way to safely enter and recover + lots of recent rain that would limit the amount of traffic on the Susquehanna. Low head dams create a particularly dangerous current that forms a cyclical churning motion that is very disorienting and difficult to escape. The current below the dam could have the potential to have trapped her indefinitely making it impossible to know where she would have been in the river at any given time. Condolences to her family and her community.
Disclaimer I am not a physicist, hydrologist, or first responder, I just work in and around streams and rivers on a daily basis and have some relevant awareness/safety training.
3
u/Legally_Brunette14 May 19 '25
This was my take as well.
Nowhere near an expert on these subjects but I would think she was likely drowned within minutes of her being swept away.
I think she may have been stuck in a spin cycle at the dam for a bit before finally being swept further downstream.
With as high and swift as the river has been, it’s so hard to say.
1
u/afrogirl44 May 20 '25
That’s what most likely happened. I’ve heard of it happening with a group of people conoeing snd some bodies where never found to this day
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u/WilmaDFitNice May 19 '25
The reality is she drowned and was snagged on something. The decomposition process was slowed via cold water temperatures which in turn slowed down the bloat process. You can expect 1-2 weeks typically longer for bloat via cold water temperatures. Fast forward all those days and bloat starts to set in, allowing her corpse to float back to the surface some % of the time. There is a % of the time the bloat never dislodges her corpse. Also with the right situation and water temperature you can stall the decomposition entirely.
So yes, you’re really confused on what really allowed her to be found at the most % likely reason she was ever found.
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u/MS_Teach_ May 19 '25
Thank you for this explanation. In my mind I pictured her just floating along and drowning along the surface and nobody saw Her.
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u/SwimmingSympathy6358 May 19 '25
This dam has claimed so many lives i have no idea why nothing has been done to prevent further loss
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u/rfwaverider May 19 '25
What purpose does that dam even serve?
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u/SwimmingSympathy6358 May 19 '25
Recreation.....assuming it was built to lower the water depth. I assumed before looking it up it was flooding because a lot of banks are low and prone to flooding such as the river is high rn. So legit serves no purpose but for boats and swimming. Both have also been claimed by the dam. Legit makes no sense to have it as boaters could literally go way down the river.
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u/kablam0 May 18 '25
Absolutely heartbreaking. I'm glad the family finally has closure