BLOUNTSTOWN — A 4-year-old girl and her grandfather are believed to have died in an accidental drowning in the Apalachicola River Thursday, according the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office.
Family members of Donald Jacobs and Alayha Jacobs contacted the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office around 7:45 p.m. Thursday when they grew worried that the pair had not returned to the Bristol Landing after a fishing outing. Deputies began a search and found Donald Jacobs’ fishing boat tied to his houseboat with fishing lines still in the water.
A short time later, a boater found the body of 4-year-old Alayha Jacobs in the water south of the houseboat. The body of Donald Jacobs had not been recovered as of noon on Friday.
The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office has taken over the search and the investigation. There is no evidence of foul play, and investigators believe the two died as a result of an accidental drowning.