Missing Ringold Fisherman Located by Col Cup Safety Crew Sunday

It was shortly before 1 PM last Wednesday, July 22nd when the Franklin County Sheriff's Office and River Rescue began to search for the fisherman.

    The Man, Wearing Chest Waders, Was Swept Into the Water

According to the FCSO and Tri City Herald, the man, believed to be in his 20's was fishing on the Pasco side of the river near Ringold Road, by the Ringold boat launch, which is north of Pasco.

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It's about 21 miles upstream from the I-182 Bridge.  Witnesses, according to the Herald, said he tried to cross an area where an irrigation canal empties into the water, but slipped. Friends tried to grab him but failed.  After losing their grip, the fast-moving current pulled him under water.

Search teams and drivers have also joined in the effort, and have covered several miles of shoreline.  Authorities believe his waders may have filled with water, making it harder for his body to surface, the search became more of a recovery mission.

Now The Man's Body Was Found near West End of Race Course

Around 10 AM Sunday morning, one of the Rescue-Patrol boats working the west end of the 2.5 mile Columbia Cup Hydro Course spotted a body floating in the water. 29-year-old Omar Espinoza Acosta, who was the fisherman, was located near one of the islands by Wade Park in West Pasco.

Several sources online had reported the body discovery by the Franklin County shoreline patrol-rescue crew, many presumed initially it might have been a Boat Race spectator victim. But the Franklin County Sheriff's Office released information indicating it was not.

The strong current had carried him from Ringold to just outside of Pasco since Wednesday.

His body is in the custody of the Franklin County Coroner.