Tennessee
Tennessee nurse and his dog died trying to save a man from Hurricane Helene: ‘My guardian angel’
As the Hurricane Helene-driven waters rose around the Nolichucky River in Tennessee, Boone McCrary, his girlfriend and his chocolate lab headed out on his fishing boat to search for a man who was stranded by floodwaters that had leveled his home. But the thick debris in the water jammed the boat’s motor, and without power, it slammed into a bridge support and capsized.
McCrary and his dog Moss never made it out of the water alive.
Search teams found McCrary’s boat and his dog’s body two days later, but it took four days to find McCrary, an emergency room nurse whose passion was being on his boat in that river. His girlfriend, Santana Ray, held onto a branch for hours before rescuers reached her.
David Boutin, the man McCrary had set out to rescue, was distraught when he later learned McCrary had died trying to save him.
“I’ve never had anyone risk their life for me,” Boutin told The Associated Press. “From what I hear that was the way he always been. He’s my guardian angel, that’s for sure.”
The 46-year-old recalled how the force of the water swept him out his front door and ripped his dog Buddy — “My best friend, all I have” — from his arms. Boutin was rescued by another team after clinging to tree branches in the raging river for six hours. Buddy is still missing, and Boutin knows he couldn’t have survived.
McCrary was one of at least 230 people killed by Hurricane Helene’s raging waters and falling trees across six states — Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia — and was among a group of first responders who perished while trying to save others. The hurricane caused significant damage in nearby Unicoi County, where flooding swept away 11 workers at an plastics factory and forced a rescue mission at an Erwin, Tennessee, hospital.
McCrary, an avid hunter and fisherman, spent his time cruising the waterways that snake around Greeneville, Tennessee. When the hurricane hit, the 32-year-old asked friends on Facebook if anyone needed help, said his sister, Laura Harville. That was how he learned about Boutin.
McCrary, his girlfriend and Moss the dog launched into a flooded neighborhood at about 7 p.m. on Sept. 27 and approached Boutin’s location, but the debris-littered floodwaters clogged the boat’s jet motor. Despite pushing and pulling the throttle, McCrary couldn’t clear the junk and slammed into the bridge about two hours into the rescue attempt.
Helene’s path of destruction
- Helene slammed into Florida’s Big Bend coastline Thursday night as a Category 4 hurricane, pounding the state with 155-mph gusts and killing at least 13.
- Helene moved northeast into Georgia, where it was downgraded to a tropical storm by Friday morning, but winds and floods left 25 dead in the state.
- By Friday afternoon, Helene had moved over parts of Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, where at least 29 died.
- Relentless rain drenched Appalachia Friday night, sending floodwaters and mudslides crashing through mountain towns.
- In North Carolina, at least 35 people died in the Asheville area, and a tornado injured 15 in Rocky Mount.
- Over the weekend, rescuers struggled to clear roads and recover bodies. The death toll is 192 and counting.
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“I got the first phone call at 8:56 p.m. and I was a nervous wreck,” Harville said. She headed to the bridge and started walking the banks.
Harville organized hundreds of volunteers who used drones, thermal cameras, binoculars and hunting dogs to scour the muddy banks, fending off copperhead snakes, trudging through knee-high muck and fighting through tangled branches. Harville collected items that carried McCrary’s scent — a pillowcase, sock and insoles from his nursing shoes — and stuffed them into mason jars for the canines to sniff.
On Sunday, a drone operator spotted the boat. They found Moss dead nearby, but there was no sign of McCrary.
Searchers had no luck on Monday, “but on Tuesday they noticed vultures flying,” Harville said. That was how they found McCrary’s body, about 21 river miles (33 kilometers) from the bridge where the boat capsized, she said.
The force of the floodwaters carried McCrary under two other bridges, under the highway and over the Nolichucky Dam, she said. The Tennessee Valley Authority said about 1.3 million gallons (4.9 million liters) of water per second was flowing over the dam on the night McCrary was swept away, more than double the flow rate of the dam’s last regulated release nearly a half-century ago.
Boutin, 46, isn’t sure where he will go next. He is staying with his son for a few days and then hopes to get a hotel voucher.
He didn’t learn about McCrary’s fate until the day after he was rescued.
“When the news hit, I didn’t know how to take it,” Boutin told the AP. “I wish I could thank him for giving his life for me.”
Dozens of McCrary’s coworkers at Greenville Community Hospital have posted tributes to him, recalling his kindness and compassion and desire to help others. He “was adamant about living life to the fullest and making sure along the way that you didn’t forget your fellow man or woman and that you helped each other,” Harville said.
McCrary’s last TikTok video posted before the hurricane shows him speeding along the surface of rushing muddy water to the tune, “Wanted Dead or Alive.” He wrote a message along the bottom that read:
“Some people have asked if I had a ‘death wish.’ The truth is that I have a ‘life wish.’ I have a need for feeling the life running through my veins. One thing about me, I may be ‘crazy,’ Perhaps a little reckless at times, but when the time comes to put me in the ground, you can say I lived it all the way.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — With heavy rain expected tonight, some Nashville residents are raising concerns about large debris piles still sitting in neighborhoods across Metro Nashville — and whether those piles could make flooding worse.
Piles of trees, branches, and other woody material left after cleanup efforts can become a problem if heavy rain washes them into nearby storm drains, culverts, or creeks. Metro Water Services says those blockages can quickly lead to flooding and even damage critical infrastructure like bridges and drainage systems.
To get ahead of the storm, crews ran what officials call “rain routes” earlier this week — checking and clearing storm drains in areas that have historically had flooding problems or where debris could create an issue. Metro Water Services also responds to reports of trees or debris blocking bridges or culverts, which can restrict water flow during storms.
Nashville Department of Transportation crews have been working 12-hour shifts every day since early February, actively monitoring conditions to stay ahead of potential issues.
With heavy rain possible tonight, the city says crews will be on call overnight to respond to any reports of isolated or flash flooding.
City leaders are reminding residents that how debris is placed can make a difference. Vegetation debris should be placed at the curb — or in the alley if that is where pickup normally happens — but should never block storm drains, drainage ditches, culverts, sidewalks, or roadways. Officials also stress that yard debris should never be placed directly in a ditch, because that can quickly block water flow when storms move through.
If you see flooding on a roadway, you are asked to report it to Metro’s non-emergency line.
Officials also encourage residents to understand their property’s flood risk and stay aware of changing conditions during storms. For information on flood risk in your area, visit Nashville.gov.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Tenn. mom invites son’s organ recipients to do his favorite activity, dance
Here’s a beautiful story of how one mother turned her grief journey into a gathering of gratitude… and organ donation awareness.
Robb Coles highlights a special event organized by Cari Hollis – whose 26-year old son Austin died two years ago. Austin agreed to be an organ donor – and that single gesture saved multiple lives.
Cari reached out to as many recipients she could find – several of whom traveled to Nashville for an emotional celebration in Austin’s honor. One woman – whose life was saved by receiving Austin’s lungs – put it simply: “He’s my angel”.
– Rhori Johnston
Update 2:45 p.m.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol said the emergency situation near I-24 in Rutherford County has been resolved and the interstate is in the process of reopening. Traffic is moving slowly as the scene clears. Drivers needing highway assistance can dial *847 (*THP).
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Authorities have shut down part of westbound I-24 in Rutherford County due to an ongoing emergency situation Wednesday afternoon.
Officials told NewsChannel 5 there is an armed individual who has barricaded themselves inside a home near the 9000 block of Manchester Pike.
No hostages have been reported and officials added that the individual fired their gun into the air, but didn’t target anyone.
Law enforcement is working to negotiate with the individual to surrender and come out safely.
According to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, I-24 westbound is closed from the Coffee County line to South Church Street. Nearby Highway 41 is also closed between Epps Mill Road and Big Springs Road.
The Tennessee SmartWay system reports police activity near mile marker 81, where all westbound lanes and the exit ramp are blocked.
Drivers are being directed to take Exit 97 toward Wartrace and follow U.S. Highway 231 back to I-24 in Murfreesboro as an alternate route.
Authorities have not released additional details about the emergency situation.
Tenn. mom invites son’s organ recipients to do his favorite activity, dance
Here’s a beautiful story of how one mother turned her grief journey into a gathering of gratitude… and organ donation awareness.
Robb Coles highlights a special event organized by Cari Hollis – whose 26-year old son Austin died two years ago. Austin agreed to be an organ donor – and that single gesture saved multiple lives.
Cari reached out to as many recipients she could find – several of whom traveled to Nashville for an emotional celebration in Austin’s honor. One woman – whose life was saved by receiving Austin’s lungs – put it simply: “He’s my angel”.
– Rhori Johnston
KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. (WZTV) — A newly identified synthetic opioid has been linked to at least 16 overdose deaths in East Tennessee, according to preliminary toxicology tests from the Knox County Regional Forensic Center.
Officials say the drug, N-propionitrile chlorphine, also known as cychlorphine, appeared in nine overdose deaths between late October and December. As of mid-January, the substance had been associated with seven additional deaths.
Authorities say the drug has been detected primarily in cases where other substances were present, including methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Chris Thomas, chief administrative officer and director of the Knox County Regional Forensic Center, said the drug has been appearing more frequently in toxicology reports, though officials are still working to understand how widely it has spread.
“It’s showing up at an exponential rate and at this point, we don’t know if it’s a single batch and done with or if it’s the new future,” Thomas said.
Initial cases were identified in Knox County before spreading to several nearby counties, including Roane, McMinn, Campbell, Union, Anderson, Claiborne, and Sevier counties, according to forensic officials.
Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan, the center’s chief medical examiner, said cychlorphine is not approved for clinical use and has never been authorized for sale on the medical market.
“This isn’t a drug that has been approved for clinical use, and it’s never been clinically approved to be sold on the market,” said Dr. Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan, chief medical examiner at Knox County Regional Forensic Center. “We do know it’s more powerful than fentanyl and that naloxone, or Narcan, does not completely block the effects of the drug and multiple doses may be needed to prevent an overdose.”
She said early findings suggest the substance may be more potent than fentanyl. Mileusnic-Polchan also said naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, may require multiple doses to counteract overdoses involving the drug.
Researchers say cychlorphine is part of a group known as new synthetic opioids, or NSOs, laboratory-made opioids that differ structurally from fentanyl and its analogues.
According to the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education, the drug may have first appeared in China in 2024 before spreading to Europe, Canada, and the United States by mid-2025.
The Knox County Regional Forensic Center first identified the substance in Tennessee in late November 2025 after it appeared in an overdose death in Roane County. Investigators later determined an earlier case in Knox County dated back to October.
Officials say the findings remain preliminary as investigators continue to study the substance and its role in overdose deaths.
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