COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. —Nine days after a father of six was last seen jumping into the Appomattox River, searchers believe they have found his body.
Search crews from Colonial Heights and Chesterfield County spent days on the river near Roslyn Landing Park looking for 33-year-old Caleb Lubrun.
Family members said Lubrun and several other family members were fishing and enjoying a day at the river on Tuesday, March 22, when the 33-year-old decided to take a quick swim.
Lubrun’s mother said her son jumped into the river twice and swam back to shore both times. But on the third time, he failed to resurface.
The family was at Roslyn Landing Park Thursday morning when they learned three firefighters had spotted a body in the river about 600 yards from where Lubrun was last seen.
"For the family, it's extremely important just to have that closure…,” Lt. Alan Dodd, Colonial Heights Fire & EMS, said. “Especially for today, since the storm would have raised the water or sent him further down the river."
Crews had been on the Appomattox River about an hour and a half when they made the discovery.
"The tide has dropped somewhat slightly,” Dodd explained. “We were able to spot him on our last pass coming back in."
For firefighters, many who spent several days searching, Thursday was “a tough call for everybody on scene,” Dodd said.
The body was transported to the state medical examiner’s office in Richmond for positive identification and to determine an cause of death.
Lubrun leaves behind six children with one on the way.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
