A little girl was about to drown, so Thaddeus Smiley jumped in to save her, the girl lived, he died
31-year-old Thaddeus Smiley died on May 30, 2025 while trying to save a 10-year-old girl from drowning in the Wolf River. The incident was in Memphis, TN. Follow Charlotte Alerts on Instagram.
Several people were at a river having a cookout. A girl was in the river to swim. The girl began to struggle in the water. Thaddeus and his adult brother jumped in the water to save the girl.
The brother was able to grab the girl and bring her to safety, he and she survived.
But Thaddeus never resurfaced, the water current pulled him down stream and under the water. Dive crews searched for hours to find Thaddeus, his body later resurfaced several miles away from the incident location. He was pronounced deceased.
