Body of Christmas Day Flood Victim Found

Closure came Wednesday for the family of 43-year-old Alice Reynolds who disappeared into a raging creek Christmas morning.

But sadly, it was her two uncles that found the body just a short time before officials were planning on searching the same area.

"I talked to the family members and they had a boat and said they were going out," said Steve Lamb who is the director of the Marion County Emergency Management Agency. "I just said if you do see anything just dial 9-1-1 immediately. Unfortunately, they are the ones that found the victim."

The family of this mother of four assisted officials every day of the search effort.

"The family members were fantastic," said South Pittsburg police chief Robert Simpson. "So many of them were there every single day, all day long, even when we had wrapped up and left for the day, they had many family members that were there and they would continue to search."

Dozens of workers and volunteers from multiple agencies scoured the entire area behind her home, a mile of underground sewer, to the location her body was found in a creek bed off highway 72, tangled in branches.

"Everyone that could come, did," Simpson said. "And it’s reassuring to know that if you’re in trouble there’s a lot of people that are going to come here and try to help you. That’s pretty amazing. And when you see all that working, it’s pretty gratifying."

And as 2015 comes to a close, an extended and caring family can lay Alice Reynold’s memory to rest.

"You know what drives a family crazy is the not knowing," Simpson said. "And so now they do. And they can begin their 2016 with other plans."