Authorities ID man whose body was recovered from Nolichucky River

Authorities have identified a man whose body was recovered Sunday, June 16 from the Nolichucky River off Bright Hope Road in Greene County.

Brian Key, 36, of Greeneville, had previously been reported missing by family members the day before, on Saturday. After not being able to reach Key, his family reported him as missing, according to a press release from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department.

A call about a body being found came in about 4 p.m. Sunday to Greene County 911 Dispatch. The sheriff’s department and the Greeneville Emergency & Rescue Squad responded and recovered Key’s body.

The sheriff’s department Criminal Investigations Division was called to the location, according to a news release.

The body was sent to the William L. Jenkins Forensic Center at East Tennessee State University for identification and to determine a cause of death, a news release issued on Sunday stated.

Key’s vehicle was located near the Nolichucky River off River Bend Road in southern Greene County, the press release on Monday said.

Greene County Sheriff Wesley Holt told The Greeneville Sun that he and others searched “up and down” the Nolichucky River for about four or five hours on Saturday after the abandoned truck was discovered.