Possible Drowning Is Investigated In New Martinsville
By JONAY KELLY-BLAVOS Staff WriterNEW MARTINSVILLE - The search continued this morning for a Wetzel County man who went missing at the New Martinsville Marina on Thursday evening.
According to New Martinsville Police Chief Tim Cecil, the search started when a call was taken at about 6 p.m. after witnesses reported that Troy Hammerstone, 24, had been jumping off the dock and never resurfaced.
Detective Donnie Harris of the New Martinsville Police Department said, "The witnesses who were fishing nearby saw Hammerstone jump into the water and when he didn't come back up, they immediately started searching for him. He left all of his personal belongings on the dock."
Local law enforcement and emergency service agents combed the waters of the marina for signs of Hammerstone until 10 p.m. Thursday evening, employing the help of divers and boats from the surrounding area. The search resumed at 8 a.m. today as a concerted effort between the New Martinsville Police Department, Wetzel County Sheriff's Department and the New Martinsville Volunteer Fire Department.
"Captain Chris Jenkins, Ben Thomas and myself were the first on the scene, and we went into the water right away," Cecil commented. "We checked a 10 foot perimeter around the dock and upstream and found nothing."
The recent onslaught of bad weather and the fluctuation of the water levels at the marina have left the channel filled with debris, complicating the search efforts. "I got into the water and I was walking over logs," said Cecil.
Although the investigation is being handled as a possible drowning, authorities have not ruled out the possibly that Hammerstone survived the jump and are asking anyone who may have spoken to him to contact the New Martinsville Police Department with any information.
