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LIVE UPDATES: Crews find body of missing 51-year-old mom last seen on a raft at Noccalula Falls

LIVE UPDATES: Crews find body of missing 51-year-old mom last seen on a raft at Noccalula Falls
TOO SIGNIFICANT. A MULTI-AGENCY SEARCH FOR A MISSING WOMAN IN GADSDEN ENDS WITH A TRAGIC LOSS. SEARCH TEAMS HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR REGINA SMITH NEAR NOCCALULA FALLS FOR THREE DAYS, BUT IT WASN鈥橳 UNTIL TODAY THAT FIRST RESPONDERS WERE ABLE TO FIND AND RECOVER HER BODY. IT鈥橲 A REALLY SAD TURN FOR HER LOVED ONES. THIS WAS THE LAST PICTURE TAKEN OF SMITH, SHARED WITH US BY HER HUSBAND. SHE WAS WITH HER HUSBAND AND HER KIDS AT THE PARK BEFORE SHE VANISHED. OUR 米兰体育 13 LISA CRANE IS JOINING US LIVE FROM NOCCALULA FALLS THIS EVENING. LISA, YOU WERE THERE WHEN FIRST RESPONDERS SHARED THE DEVASTATING NEWS THAT SMITH鈥橲 BODY HAD BEEN FOUND. WHAT DO WE KNOW RIGHT NOW? WELL, I CAN TELL YOU WHAT鈥橲 SO AMAZING ABOUT THIS STORY IS THAT REGINA SMITH鈥橲 BODY WAS FOUND ONLY A FEW HUNDRED FEET FROM WHERE SHE WAS LAST SEEN HERE AT NOCCALULA FALLS. TAKE A LOOK AT THIS RIGHT HERE. I鈥橫 AT THE VERY TOP OF THE FALLS RIGHT HERE. YOU CAN SEE THE TOP OF THE FALL THERE. AT THE BOTTOM IS THE MOUTH OF THE GORGE. AND THAT鈥橲 WHERE SHE WAS LAST SEEN. OFFICIALS BELIEVE HER BODY MAY HAVE BEEN STUCK IN AN UNDERWATER CAVE OR UNDER A ROCK SINCE SUNDAY. NOW IT TOOK SEVERAL HOURS FOR RESCUE TEAMS TO BRING HER BODY UP THE RAVINE TO THE TOP OF THE GORGE. THE CONDITIONS WHERE SHE WAS FOUND ARE SO DANGEROUS. THE DIVE TEAM, EVEN THE SWIFT WATER TEAM DOESN鈥橳 EVEN VENTURE IN. TAKE A LOOK AT THE VICTIM. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE LAST PICTURES TAKEN OF 51 YEAR OLD REGINA SMITH. JUST BEFORE SHE GOT ON A FLOAT AND HEADED DOWNSTREAM IN THE GORGE TOWARDS THOSE CATEGORY FOUR RAPIDS. SO THE GORGE IS. IT鈥橲 A PLACE NO ONE NEEDS TO GO. WE ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO COME HERE. OBVIOUSLY, FIRE STATION, THE NEW CAMPGROUND, WHICH IS IT鈥橲 IT鈥橲 UNBELIEVABLE HOW NICE THIS IS. WE ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO COME. WE ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO STAY OUT OF THE GORGE. IT IS ABSOLUTELY TREACHEROUS. NOW, I SPOKE TO REGINA鈥橲 HUSBAND NOT LONG AFTER HE LEARNED THAT THEY HAD RECOVERED HER BODY, AND HE SAID HE JUST WANTED EVERYONE TO KNOW THAT HIS WIFE LOVED GOD. AND SHE WAS AN AMAZING MOTHER TO THEIR THREE CHILDREN, AGES 25, 21, AND 1
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LIVE UPDATES: Crews find body of missing 51-year-old mom last seen on a raft at Noccalula Falls
Emergency crews found the body of a missing 51-year-old mom at the gorge of Noccalula Falls on Tuesday.Regina Smith, 51, was last seen on a raft in Black Creek, according to the city of Gadsden.Emergency crews said her body was found shortly before noon on Tuesday after nearly two days of searching. Her husband said they were with the kids in the beach area playing in the water with a raft when she went around the bend and then wasn't there.Noccalula Falls Park, the falls and the campground are still open, but visitors are being asked to avoid the gorge trail and area near it.You can see the park on the Noccalula Falls interactive trail map here.>> 米兰体育 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for freeLive Updates:Tuesday, May 276 p.m. - 米兰体育 13 Anchor Lisa Crane spoke with the son of the woman whose body was found in the gorge.4 p.m. - 米兰体育 13 Anchor Lisa Crane is live at Noccalula Falls where the body was found.12 p.m. - Emergency crews said the body of Regina Smith was found near the gorge of Noccalula Falls."We encourage folks to stay out of the gorge. It is absolutely treacherous," said Gadsden Fire Chief Vance Brown.8 a.m. - The search resumed at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.6 a.m. - 米兰体育 13 Reporter Bryce Oselen is live at Noccalula Falls with the latest on the search.Monday, May 268 p.m. - Jerry Smith showed us the last picture of his wife that was taken on Sunday.Jerry Smith said, "Then she waved at the kids, and then they said, 'Come on, it's getting a little late.'"She said, 'I'm good. I'm having fun,' and then she went around the bend and they went to look for her; she wasn't there anymore.鈥�6 a.m. - The search began again at 6 a.m. on Monday, when several agencies were called in to help, including swift water rescue teams from Cherokee, DeKalb and St. Clair counties.Other agencies include the Gadsden Fire Department, Gadsden Police Department, Etowah County Sheriff's Office, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Gadsden-Etowah County Emergency Management Agency and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).Sunday, May 25The family called first responders around 8 p.m. Sunday. Crews searched until storms forced them to stop around 1:30 a.m. on Monday. This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available. Stay updated on the latest stories with the 米兰体育 13 app. You can download it here.

Emergency crews found the body of a missing 51-year-old mom at the gorge of Noccalula Falls on Tuesday.

Regina Smith, 51, was last seen on a raft in Black Creek, according to the city of Gadsden.

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Emergency crews said her body was found shortly before noon on Tuesday after nearly two days of searching.

Her husband said they were with the kids in the beach area playing in the water with a raft when she went around the bend and then wasn't there.

Noccalula Falls Park, the falls and the campground are still open, but visitors are being asked to avoid the gorge trail and area near it.

You can see the park on the Noccalula Falls interactive trail map .

>> 米兰体育 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free


Live Updates:

Tuesday, May 27

6 p.m. -

米兰体育 13 Anchor Lisa Crane spoke with the son of the woman whose body was found in the gorge.

4 p.m. -

米兰体育 13 Anchor Lisa Crane is live at Noccalula Falls where the body was found.

12 p.m. -

Emergency crews said the body of Regina Smith was found near the gorge of Noccalula Falls.

"We encourage folks to stay out of the gorge. It is absolutely treacherous," said Gadsden Fire Chief Vance Brown.

8 a.m. -

The search resumed at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.

6 a.m. -

米兰体育 13 Reporter Bryce Oselen is live at Noccalula Falls with the latest on the search.

Monday, May 26

8 p.m. -

Jerry Smith showed us the last picture of his wife that was taken on Sunday.

searching underway for missing woman
Jerry Smith

Jerry Smith said, "Then she waved at the kids, and then they said, 'Come on, it's getting a little late.'"

She said, 'I'm good. I'm having fun,' and then she went around the bend and they went to look for her; she wasn't there anymore.鈥�

6 a.m. -

The search began again at 6 a.m. on Monday, when several agencies were called in to help, including swift water rescue teams from Cherokee, DeKalb and St. Clair counties.

Other agencies include the Gadsden Fire Department, Gadsden Police Department, Etowah County Sheriff's Office, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Gadsden-Etowah County Emergency Management Agency and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Sunday, May 25

The family called first responders around 8 p.m. Sunday. Crews searched until storms forced them to stop around 1:30 a.m. on Monday.


This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available. Stay updated on the latest stories with the 米兰体育 13 app. You can download it here.