COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. — The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office is searching for the body of a 26-year-old man in South East Shelby County.
Family confirms search and rescue teams are looking for 26-year-old Margarito Cruz Martinez.
The sheriff’s office received reports that Martinez went underwater in the Wolf River on South Collierville Arlington Road around 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
His brother-in-law, Audlino Lopez, says Martinez went swimming in the water and never resurfaced. He says he tried to go after him, but they couldn’t find him.
“He told my brother ‘Hey let me cross the other side and I’ll come back,'” Lopez said.
Sadly, Martinez never made it back.
“I see his hands went under the water. like something pulled him under the water,” Lopez added.
Lopez says he jumped in the water to try and save his brother-in-law but the water was too strong.
Multiple agencies, including Collierville Fire and Rescue, Collierville Police, Germantown Fire, and Arlington Fire joined in the search.
At around 10 p.m. Sunday night, SCSO announced the search was suspended for the night.
“We wanted to resume it [Monday] morning at eight o’clock. Unfortunately, it’s changed from a rescue into a recovery effort,” SCSO’s John Morris said.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office says they plan to continue the search for Martinez for as long as possible.
WREG will update this page when more information becomes available.
