Diver Gives Grieving Parents Recovered Camera With Footage Of 22-year-old Son’s Final Moments Before Tennessee Waterfall Drowning Accident

Nov 21, 2019 by apost team

Richard Ragland passed away in 2017 after he drowned at Foster Falls State Park, Tennessee. He was holding a Go-Pro that captured his final moments. Unfortunately, it was never found until recently.

A treasure hunter named Rich Aloha recently discovered the camera when he was scuba diving in the same area that Ragland drowned according to WSB-TV. Park Rangers had told Aloha about Ragland's incident and the missing camera and told him to look out for it.

"I was going through the footage and sure enough... I just said 'Oh my God this is the guy,'" Aloha told the news station.

apost.com

Aloha knew he had to find Ragland's family so he researched the story and was eventually able to track his parents down. The footage shows Ragland looking like he's having the best day, he went ziplining where he had a big smile painted across his face. Even leading up to the Falls incident, Ragland looks happy and is splashing around with his friends.

His mother told WSB-TV, “What we’ve seen so far is Rich being Rich, living life to the fullest.”

Gary and Robin were shocked when they received a phone call that the GoPro had been found. The couple had been searching for this footage since the time of Richard's tragic drowning.

Fortunately, the SD card of the camera was still intact. This gave Richard's family the chance to get the closure that they had been praying for over the last two years.

His parents are extremely thankful for Aloha's find and for returning the footage to them. "To go through the effort to do his research make numerous phone calls he didn't give up until he got in touch with us and that means the world to us," his mother said to the news station. 

Aloha is also glad he made the find. "I'm glad that I found it personally because I always try to do what's right and give the item back to the rightful owner," he said. 

What do you think about this treasure hunter's find? Have you ever found something extraordinary? Tell us about it below. Send this story to your friends and family.