Found Deceased AL - Garrett Walker, 20, left bar, University of Alabama student, Tuscaloosa, 6 Nov 2021

[T4Tide]

 

[T4Tide]

Family, friends, media are waiting here at the top of the boat ramp. They must be fairly certain he’s in this area because the rest of the river walk is open to the public.

 

[T4Tide]

My location is the blue dot. You can see the boat roam directly across and there’s a boat at the end of the dock. That’s where they are searching. Lots of hugs and tears going on between family and friends

 

[EGirl]

I live in Alabama - still don't understand the intoxicated male/water connection. And it happens ALL THE TIME.

JMO but my theory is that people that have been drinking a lot, urinate a lot. And, males in that age group are more inclined to urinate outside and river side is the perfect spot in their minds.

 

[T4Tide]

I’ll have to leave in a little bit to go pick up my daughter from school, but I will try to stay as long as I can. I’m sure they have gotten camera footage from Hotel Indigo, which directly overlooks the area and has a large outside rooftop bar that I am sure was fairly active. I lead against foul play, as I believe the phone would have been disposed of in the river as well.

 

[Suwannee]

I’ll have to leave in a little bit to go pick up my daughter from school, but I will try to stay as long as I can. I’m sure they have gotten camera footage from Hotel Indigo, which directly overlooks the area and has a large outside rooftop bar that I am sure was fairly active. I lead against foul play, as I believe the phone would have been disposed of in the river as well.

Thank you for the updates and pics to give us a perspective on the search efforts. This is such a sad situation.

 

[T4Tide]

I’m literally sitting on the curb behind the rescue vehicles. I’m going to see if I can get closer to the water without going in front of the family. I feel like that would be intrusive and disrespectful.

 

[Scrapper18]

JMO but my theory is that people that have been drinking a lot, urinate a lot. And, males in that age group are more inclined to urinate outside and river side is the perfect spot in their minds.

Agree. I also wonder if he saw the water and thought, oh a swim would be nice. JMO/MOO I don’t think foul play, nor mental health was involved. I think this was accidental with alcohol as a big contributing factor. JMO. My heart breaks for this family though. So many prayers for them.

 

[T4Tide]

There’s LE standing at the path entrances closer to the water. Lots of young men here, bringing food and being supportive. They just rolled up with the big overhead lights to put up to continue the search after dark if necessary.

 

[T4Tide]

IMO, the boat ramp is way too far to walk to pee. It’s in a wooded area where one could stop and do that several places before walking all the way down to the river.

I’m curious as to how he ended up all alone.

 

[T4Tide]

They are actually unloading the lights and rolling them down to the river.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Yes. It happens ALL THE TIME, and it's only college age boys. You'd think if falling in the river were a common thing for drunk people, you'd find a lot more variety in demographic than just college age boys.

This also seems to happen during the cold months, when a recreational swim by moonlight would be unthinkable.

(Thinking out loud) Maybe they drink more than older people and, as students, are sleep-deprived. They're tired. So then they are subconciously attracted to the river's soothing sound & head over to see it.
Females and older folks would be more likely to head straight home from the bar to go to bed, but college-age males are wanting just a little more time outside?

 

[j_xox1]

Friend of my families lost their 17-year old son in a very similar way. Son got drunk and was left alone, ended up in a body of water next day. Time and time again I hear of this happening: young in shape male goes missing after a night of partying/drinking and ends up in a body of water somewhere. Very weird. Suprised young people haven’t learned that they should never leave their friends alone after they’ve been drinking. Unfortunately, the outcome of this case is pretty clear but there is still a small chance a miracle could happen and he is somewhere safe. Praying thats the case.

 

[514Caledonia]

Friend of my families lost their 17-year old son in a very similar way. Son got drunk and was left alone, ended up in a body of water next day. Time and time again I hear of this happening: young in shape male goes missing after a night of partying/drinking and ends up in a body of water somewhere. Very weird. Suprised young people haven’t learned that they should never leave their friends alone after they’ve been drinking. Unfortunately, the outcome of this case is pretty clear but there is still a small chance a miracle could happen and he is somewhere safe. Praying thats the case.

My grandsons went to Alabama, as I did and others. If this is a common occurrence, a campaign of some sort could be carried out at all Universities, especially those with rivers like the U of A.

 

[T4Tide]

(Thinking out loud) Maybe they drink more than older people and, as students, are sleep-deprived. They're tired. So then they are subconciously attracted to the river's soothing sound & head over to see it.
Females and older folks would be more likely to head straight home from the bar to go to bed, but college-age males are wanting just a little more time outside?

The Black Warrior is so huge that I don’t feel like it makes any sound at all. It’s dark and deep and very deceiving. There’s several places that you can walk right down to it and it’s hard to even tell it’s moving but it is… and swiftly at that. The under currents are deadly.

 

[Scrapper18]

The Black Warrior is so huge that I don’t feel like it makes any sound at all. It’s dark and deep and very deceiving. There’s several places that you can walk right down to it and it’s hard to even tell it’s moving but it is… and swiftly at that. The under currents are deadly.

So, if this is what happened to the young man, it could be difficult to find him? Currents could have carried him downstream?

 

[PommyMommy]

NOV 8, 2021
Police search for missing 20-year-old University of Alabama student (nbcnews.com)
[...]

The statement was updated on Monday afternoon to say Walker was last seen around 4:20 or 4:40 a.m. near 17th Ave. - Queens City.

His phone was found at a river walk Sunday afternoon, the statement said. His family reported him missing after his phone was found.

[...]

 

[PommyMommy]

NOV 8, 2021
Search for missing Alabama student Garrett Winston James Walker (tuscaloosanews.com)
[...]

The Black Warrior River drains parts of 17 Alabama counties. The area the river drains, its watershed, covers 6,276 square miles in Alabama and measures roughly 300 miles from top to bottom. Near Tuscaloosa, the river flows out of the rocky Cumberland Plateau and enters the sandy East Gulf Coastal Plain, forming the border of Greene and Hale counties.

In September 2020, search crews located the body of Kirsten Jones who had been missing. Jones was one of three UA students who went boating at night on the Black Warrior River.

Garrett Walker missing UA student Tuscaloosa Alabama (wvtm13.com)
"They will continue searching today until dark, and return at first light tomorrow morning if necessary," police said Monday afternoon.

 

[mlhenn]

Tuscaloosa Police search for missing UA student

UPDATE: Rescue crews with TPD and TFRS are continuing to search for Garrett Walker in the area of the Black Warrior River near the old Bama Belle dock. They will return at first light Tuesday morning if necessary.

 

[EllaMae]

The Black Warrior is so huge that I don’t feel like it makes any sound at all. It’s dark and deep and very deceiving. There’s several places that you can walk right down to it and it’s hard to even tell it’s moving but it is… and swiftly at that. The under currents are deadly.

I have always been a little uneasy about The Black Warrior. Something about it.....the dark waters are very forboding. I would not swim in it that's for sure. It's so deep that it gives me the creeps.
I hate to think about that young man being in The Black Warrior.