SHOALS – Martin County Coroner Cathy Evans has identified the two teenagers who drowned while swimming in the East Fork of White River just west of the Lawrence County line in Martin County.
The bodies of 16-year-old Mariano Lopez Hernandez and 16-year-old Mario Lopez Hernandez, both from Mooresville, were recovered by searchers.
On Saturday at approximately 6:30 p.m., officers responded to the river near the 1800 block of Williams Road regarding a report of two people missing in the water.
Witnesses told investigators the two had been swimming in the river and were last seen being carried downstream by the current and then going under the surface of the water.
Search efforts commenced using airboats, underwater sonar, and dragging equipment, along with public safety divers.
Officers confirmed the bodies were later recovered in the river just west of the Lawrence County line.
