The search for the body of Maryland Army National Guardsman, who was swept away in the flooding of Ellicott City, Md., is over.
Sgt. Eddison Hermond‘s body was found in the Patapsco River by rescuers Tuesday, according to Howard County Police. Hermond was last seen on Sunday trying to help residents at the La Palapa Grill & Cantina restaurant when the floods swept him away.
A witness, Kate Bowman, told the Baltimore Sun that Hermond was trying to help her when he disappeared. She had just escaped her own place with her cat.
“I could barely see anything and I could barely hear anything,” Bowman says. “He stepped over the ledge to try to get to me, and he was washed away.”
Local police chief Gary Gardner told reporters Monday that Hermond disappeared while trying to save Bowman’s cat, but she disputes that story.
According to CNN, Hermond, 39, joined the Air Force in 1996 and served 10 years as an airman. He joined the Guard in 2009.
He was not on duty when he disappeared.