Overview
- Authorities recovered 20-year-old Nazir Bell on Tuesday after a nearly two-day search of the Potomac River near Great Falls.
- Officials say Bell disappeared Sunday evening while swimming near Billy Goat Trail A and Sandy Landing after becoming separated from a group of friends.
- Maryland and Virginia agencies conducted the search using air, land, and water teams and deployed sonar and thermal-imaging equipment to locate the swimmer.
- Bell’s family remained nearby during the operation and said he had just finished his freshman year at Towson University; his mother said she last spoke with him the day he went out.
- Local responders and river users describe the Great Falls stretch as having strong, dangerous currents and a history of drownings, underscoring ongoing public-safety concerns for recreational swimmers.