Body Of Missing UGA Student Found In Wyoming

ATHENS, GA -- The body of a University of Georgia student who went missing in Wyoming has been found, law enforcement officials there said. The body of Oliver Woodward, 21, was found Wednesday by a kayaker in a river, according to news reports.

Oliver was rafting on the Snake River on the 4th of July when he was thrown from the vessel while doing through rough rapids. (To get notified of more local news like this, click here to sign up for the Athens Patch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Woodward and a companion both were ejected from the raft, prompting a search from authorities. Immediately after the incident, rescuers found Woodward's companion, but the UGA student, who authorities said was not wearing a life jacket, was nowhere to be found.

The Teton County Wyoming Sheriff's Office leapt into action, organizing a search party that operated until it got too dark. They resumed looking for Woodward the next day. After two days of enlisting multiple agencies, scent dogs and other means, the Teton Sheriff's Office announced that it would be scaling back its search efforts, resigning itself to the fact that Woodward may no longer be alive.

In the following days, some of Woodward's fraternity brothers from Sigma Alpha Epsilon brothers reportedly flew out to Wyoming to aid in the search. Still, Woodward was not located.

Woodward's body was discovered by a kayaker Wednesday around 10 a.m. in Lincoln County, the Teton Sheriff's Office said. His body was identified through dental records.

The official cause of Woodward's death is accidental drowning, according to the Jackson Hole News & Guide, citing Lincoln County Deputy Coroner Maryanne Christensen.

Woodward, who was reared in metro Atlanta, was living in Jackson Hole for the summer. His family is reportedly planning funeral arrangements.

Image via Teton County Sheriff's Office