Search continues for missing Madison man last seen in French Broad River; dog, boat found
MARSHALL - On Feb. 23, Madison County officials said search and rescue teams would limit their scope to one particular area in the search for a Marshall man who went missing on the French Broad River.
A family member said Phillip Shelton, 64, of Marshall, went missing the afternoon of Feb. 18 after heading to the French Broad River with his dog, Zip.
Rescue officials set up shop on Blannahassett Island near downtown Marshall Feb. 21 to continue the search, as rescue teams from four different counties assisted with the search from Marshall to the Tennessee state line.
On Feb. 23, the county said search and rescue teams would narrow the scope of the search from the 25-mile Marshall to the state line area to an area of concern above the Marshall Dam. A dive team from Henderson County added an additional capability to existing search efforts.
"He had a friend that spoke with him around 8:30 a.m. (Feb. 18)," Shelton's niece, Lisa Shelton, said. "This is nothing abnormal. They cross that river in that one place. When the dog was running, that's when we knew something was wrong."
According to Interim County Manager Rod Honeycutt, search officials discovered his dog, canoe, as well as his vehicle, a red Ford Explorer, on the evening of Feb. 18.
On the afternoon of Feb. 20, officials discovered a backpack carrying some of Shelton's belongings, Honeycutt said.
According to Honeycutt, the family called 911 around 6 p.m. on Feb. 18 to notify officials that Shelton was missing.
"At that point, it is both a missing person from the Sheriff's Office point of angel operation and a search and rescue from a County EMS perspective, (as) no one actually saw him go into the water," Honeycutt said. "So, we can assume that he went in, but the Sheriff's Office has to do their due diligence and continue the missing persons operation."
On Feb. 21, Buncombe County Task Force, Cherokee Fire and Rescue and Henderson County Rescue Squad also assisted with the search, heading from Marshall to the Tennessee state line.
On Feb. 22, Western Carolina University added a cadaver dog capability to the existing search efforts.
According to Honeycutt, Henderson County Rescue Squad brought sonar capabilities to aid in the search.
But family members are fearing the worst.
"It's just one of those things. Nobody really knows," Lisa Shelton said. "He had a lot of knowledge of the river, and was on the river all the time. His car was there locked up, and his dog was out. Him and Zip were absolutely inseparable. That was the key to us - when the dog was running, we knew something was wrong."
Lisa Shelton said she may never know exactly what happened to her uncle.
"Just like any of us growing up, I mean, we were on that river our whole lives - he has been, I have been, my dad. We're all very familiar with the river," Shelton said. "It's just one of those things. It's tragic. He was a super good guy, and he was very knowledgeable about the outdoors. He was an avid hunter, fisherman, outdoorsman. This was nothing unusual for him.
"Who's to say we'll ever find out what happened. We'd love to know that he's going to come out of the river, but at this point it's not looking too good."
Shelton said she is grateful for the community's support during this time.
"We appreciate everybody that has helped us look," Shelton said. "We appreciate everybody's help."
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Madison man missing: Search continues along French Broad River
