A 31-year-old man died while trying to save a young child at risk of being swept away in a river in Tennessee.

Thaddeus Smiley, 31, was among a group of 11 people hanging out on a sandbar in the middle of Wolf River in Memphis just before 2 p.m. May 30, when a child started struggling to swim, prompting Smiley and another man to jump into the water to save the child, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner said in a press conference .

While the child and the other rescuer made it out of the water uninjured, Smiley wasn't as fortunate and got caught up in the current.

A search and rescue operation involving more than 100 first responders and volunteers was launched and continued for three days over the weekend before Smiley's body was eventually located about half a

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