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I have been thinking about posting something about this since it happened. When i saw this topic, i decided to go ahead and get it out of my head. Hope it is appropriate.
One of my favorite places on this Earth is a branch of horse creek off of highway 69 in walnut Grove, TN. I'd go there with my buddies and drink beer, take girls the and go by myself and walk for miles chasing wild smallmouth. This past year i added artifact hunting to the list. It is full of artifacts. About a month ago i pulled off the dirt road And down to gravel bar to unload my kayak. I looked down and saw a broken corner notch base. I scanned the rest of the bank. As i looked downstream, i saw some blankets washed up on the next gravel bar. I took one step towards them then stopped to check the text msg that just came thru. My best friends father just had a massive heart attach and was not expected to live more than 2 his. I was an hour away, so i forgot about the broke point and the blankets and headed for the hospital.
on my way back from the hospital, i stopped by my grandparents house to say hello. As soon as i walked in, my grandfather was asking me if i knew where they found that missing girl. I told him i did not. He informed me that they found her wrapped up in blankets a few hundred yards from the bridge where i go fishing. It immediately hit me that that's what those blankets were that i saw that morning. A group of people searching for arrowheads found her about 4 hours after i had been there.
The next day, i decided to go back. The water had just gone down and the day before i could literally see the artifacts on every gravel bar. But most of all i wanted to get back to my favorite spot and make sure it was still there. I am definitely not the most religious person, but i stopped and said a prayer when i pulled up. As i was unloading my kayak, someone pulled up and parked on the bridge, in the middle of a traffic lane. As he got it of his car, i saw the expression on his face and knew that it was the girl's father. I've seen that expression on too many faces of parents who have lost their children. I looked down the back where the blankets were the previous day. The was a large pink "X" there.... The gentleman came down and introduced himself. He asked me if i had been floating the River. I told him what happened the previous day. He saw the pink "X." He played out the scenarios out in his head, then out loud. "So he shot her in the head, wrapped her in blankets, weighed her down with rocks, threw her off the bridge into the deep water. She was there for the past 8 days, until she floated up and got stuck on that gravel bar." It was surreal. I felt sick. All my problems and worries in life suddenly felt extremely selfish as i listened to this man run a play by play of his only daughters murder.
Maegan Gamill had been missing for approx 10 days before that group found her. There was a guy in custody. The cops had the gun and a shell casing. They were just waiting for someone to find her body. Shortly after i got my kayak in the water the second day, a young family showed up and had a picnic on the gravel bar. I do not know if they knew what had happened there the day before.
On a personal note, i have dealt with a lot of death recently. My aunt had a heart attack at my grandma's funeral. She died in my mother's arms as she was trying to revive her- in front of her kids, grandkids and great grandkids. My boss was helping me with a large function at work last summer. We were working side by side, suddenly he wasn't standing there anymore. He was on the ground, blue. Massive heart attack. Died before he hit the floor, paramedics said. After they took him away, the GM came in and announced that he has passed away, "but show must go on, so get back to work, that's what he would have wanted." He showed up after everything was over. He did not know what my people had been thru. I sent them all home and finished the event by myself. I haven't been back to work since. Many people still blame me for his death. He was there helping me....i know it was not my fault. But that doesn't change their minds. My Best friend's little brother died of drug overdose. My girlfriend's best friend was shot in the face and died. She had 2 other friend pass away from drug overdose. Some of her friends started getting into trouble and she had to cut ties with her childhood friends. She's the only one of them still alive and she feels guilty about it... Been a rough year, but I've learned you gotta keep moving forward. No choice, have to. That's life.
i hope i didn't go on too long, it did feel good to get this out of my head. Thanks everyone. I hope nobody else has the kind of year i have had..... Stay safe
One of my favorite places on this Earth is a branch of horse creek off of highway 69 in walnut Grove, TN. I'd go there with my buddies and drink beer, take girls the and go by myself and walk for miles chasing wild smallmouth. This past year i added artifact hunting to the list. It is full of artifacts. About a month ago i pulled off the dirt road And down to gravel bar to unload my kayak. I looked down and saw a broken corner notch base. I scanned the rest of the bank. As i looked downstream, i saw some blankets washed up on the next gravel bar. I took one step towards them then stopped to check the text msg that just came thru. My best friends father just had a massive heart attach and was not expected to live more than 2 his. I was an hour away, so i forgot about the broke point and the blankets and headed for the hospital.
on my way back from the hospital, i stopped by my grandparents house to say hello. As soon as i walked in, my grandfather was asking me if i knew where they found that missing girl. I told him i did not. He informed me that they found her wrapped up in blankets a few hundred yards from the bridge where i go fishing. It immediately hit me that that's what those blankets were that i saw that morning. A group of people searching for arrowheads found her about 4 hours after i had been there.
The next day, i decided to go back. The water had just gone down and the day before i could literally see the artifacts on every gravel bar. But most of all i wanted to get back to my favorite spot and make sure it was still there. I am definitely not the most religious person, but i stopped and said a prayer when i pulled up. As i was unloading my kayak, someone pulled up and parked on the bridge, in the middle of a traffic lane. As he got it of his car, i saw the expression on his face and knew that it was the girl's father. I've seen that expression on too many faces of parents who have lost their children. I looked down the back where the blankets were the previous day. The was a large pink "X" there.... The gentleman came down and introduced himself. He asked me if i had been floating the River. I told him what happened the previous day. He saw the pink "X." He played out the scenarios out in his head, then out loud. "So he shot her in the head, wrapped her in blankets, weighed her down with rocks, threw her off the bridge into the deep water. She was there for the past 8 days, until she floated up and got stuck on that gravel bar." It was surreal. I felt sick. All my problems and worries in life suddenly felt extremely selfish as i listened to this man run a play by play of his only daughters murder.
Maegan Gamill had been missing for approx 10 days before that group found her. There was a guy in custody. The cops had the gun and a shell casing. They were just waiting for someone to find her body. Shortly after i got my kayak in the water the second day, a young family showed up and had a picnic on the gravel bar. I do not know if they knew what had happened there the day before.
On a personal note, i have dealt with a lot of death recently. My aunt had a heart attack at my grandma's funeral. She died in my mother's arms as she was trying to revive her- in front of her kids, grandkids and great grandkids. My boss was helping me with a large function at work last summer. We were working side by side, suddenly he wasn't standing there anymore. He was on the ground, blue. Massive heart attack. Died before he hit the floor, paramedics said. After they took him away, the GM came in and announced that he has passed away, "but show must go on, so get back to work, that's what he would have wanted." He showed up after everything was over. He did not know what my people had been thru. I sent them all home and finished the event by myself. I haven't been back to work since. Many people still blame me for his death. He was there helping me....i know it was not my fault. But that doesn't change their minds. My Best friend's little brother died of drug overdose. My girlfriend's best friend was shot in the face and died. She had 2 other friend pass away from drug overdose. Some of her friends started getting into trouble and she had to cut ties with her childhood friends. She's the only one of them still alive and she feels guilty about it... Been a rough year, but I've learned you gotta keep moving forward. No choice, have to. That's life.
i hope i didn't go on too long, it did feel good to get this out of my head. Thanks everyone. I hope nobody else has the kind of year i have had..... Stay safe
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