Young Child Drowns While Tubing in the Chattahoochee River

The Chattahoochee River, a staple of Sandy Springs recreation and activity, was the site of a tragedy late Friday, when a 9-year-old girl who was tubing in the river, drowned.

Capt. Jason Shivers with the Forsyth County Fire Department said Anna Vanhorn of Peachtree City was under water for more than hour before her life preserver was spotted by authorities. The girl was transported to Northside Hospital-Forsyth where she was later pronounced dead.

Vanhorn was with two adults, Rachel Johnston, 19, of Cumming, and Ashley Mabry, 19, of Suwanee, along with three minors at the time of the incident, according to a statement from the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office.

Local authorities were alerted at 4:32 p.m. that a child was missing from the Chattahoochee River, somewhere between the Highway 20 bridge and Settles Bridge Park in Forsyth County.

"At 5:41 (p.m.) we made the removal of the child from the river," said Shivers.

The search and rescue began at McGinnis Ferry Road and the Chattahoochee River, and ended at Rivercliff Court just off James Burgess Road, Shivers said. A rescue boat was also put in the river at Lower Pool Park.

Shivers pointed out that during the search for the child the Buford Dam was generating power. "The water was flowing very, very swiftly and had risen substantially," he said.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Web site, "The Chattahoochee can change quickly from a serene slow moving stream to a swift and treacherous river when water is released at Buford Dam. During water release the river can rise up to 11 feet within a matter of minutes."

Rescue and fire personnel from Gwinnett County, Johns Creek and Roswell assisted Forsyth County in the search and rescue, and recovery of Vanhorn.

An investigation is underway by the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the United States Parks Service.