A summer job in Yellowstone National Park ended tragically for a northeast Georgia man. The 22-year-old’s body was found Friday, four days after a tubing accident, his family said Saturday.
Darien Latty, of Demorest, and two other men, all concession workers in the park, were seen Monday evening floating down the Lamar River near the Yellowstone River, the National Parks Service said. The other two men got out of the water, but Latty was swept downstream in the rushing water, according to witnesses.
Dozens joined in the search by ground and air for Latty, a 2010 graduate of Habersham County High School. On Friday, Latty’s body was recovered, his uncle, Kevin Latty, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday.
Late Friday, searchers spotted Darien Latty’s body in a steep and dangerous section of the Yellowstone River, about a quarter-mile from where he was last seen, the NPS said. A swift-water rescue team from Gallatin County, Montana, later returned with kayaks and a raft anchored to both banks of the river and recovered the body, an NPS spokesman said. A helicopter was utilized to remove his body from the remote area.
Darien, who planned to re-enroll in college after his summer job ended, had been working in Yellowstone since earlier this year, his uncle said.
“The last 2 to 3 months were probably the best 2 to 3 months of his life,” Kevin Latty said.
A fund has been set up to assist the family. Anyone wishing to donate to the Darien Latty Memorial Fund should visit a Fidelity Bank branch. Funeral arrangements have not yet been finalized.
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