A 47-year-old Dayton man drowned in the Great Miami River after his kayak capsized, and Butler County officials are warning residents about dangerously swift currents that have made the river treacherous for boaters.
Eric Blakley's body was recovered near the low dam in Hamilton on Thursday, Aug. 20, five days after he was reported missing from a kayaking trip in Middletown on Saturday, Aug. 15. The Butler County Coroner's Office identified Blakley on Friday, Aug. 21, and ruled his death an accidental drowning, according to the Journal-News.
A 911 caller reported seeing what appeared to be a body near the dam at approximately 11:42 a.m. The Butler County Sheriff's Office Emergency Response Services team recovered Blakley from a muddy bank.
The multi-day search involved ODNR, the Butler County Sheriff's Office, Middletown police and fire, and Texas EquuSearch. Crews used search boats, aerial drones, a sheriff's helicopter and personnel walking the shorelines. ODNR spokesman Andy Chow said currents during the search ranged from 11,000 to 44,000 cubic feet per second.
The river remains dangerous.
Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones warned residents not to underestimate the water's power.
"The river may look calm on the surface, but strong currents and undertows can quickly pull a person under and make it extremely difficult to recover," Jones said in a statement.
Both Jones and Chow recommended that anyone near the river wear a properly fitted life jacket. Chow also warned boaters to avoid streams with swift-moving water, noting that lowhead dams become more dangerous in high water and that floating logs or submerged trees can create life-threatening situations.
Members of the Great Miami Rowing Center told WLWT they had stayed off the river for nearly two weeks as of Saturday, Aug. 22, because of its speed, height and floating debris. Kathy Kremer of the rowing center said the water is moving too fast for their members and that debris coming downriver remains a concern.
The Great Miami River flows through Middletown and Hamilton in Butler County, a corridor used by West Chester and Liberty Township residents for kayaking, rowing and fishing. As we reported Aug. 22, the river is also under a separate health advisory due to untreated sewage leaking from a damaged plant in Connersville, Indiana, into a tributary upstream.
The last drowning fatality ODNR assisted with on the Great Miami River occurred July 5, 2025, also near the low head dam in Hamilton. Residents can monitor current river levels through the National Water Prediction Service gauge at Hamilton.
