Pa. man, 21, hits head on rock, drowns in swollen creek

Dylan Knopsnider's body was pulled from the waters of Jacobs Creek in South Huntingdon, Pa., Sunday morning near where the 21-year-old fell in after hitting his head on a rock on Tuesday evening.(screen shot)

Dylan Knopsnider was last seen alive Tuesday evening, when he lost his footing and hit his head on a rock as he jumped into water of a swollen creek - a popular local swimming hole - that runs along the border Westmoreland and Fayette counties in western Pa.

It wasn't until Sunday morning that the 21-year-old's body was found, pulled from the waters of Jacobs Creek in South Huntingdon, Pa., near where he fell in, TribLive.com in Pittsburgh reports.

According to the Pa. state police involved in the recovery, Knopsnider's body surfaced in the middle of the creek about 50 yards from where he entered the popular but remote swimming hole Tuesday evening.

Dive teams, firefighters and cadaver dogs from multiple counties had been searching the area fruitlessly for signs of Knopsnider of Connellsville, Pa., since Tuesday, TribLive.com writes.

However, officials said recent heavy rainfall may have helped bring the body to the surface.

WPXI-TV reports that Knopsnider's family expressed gratitude to search teams when the body was recovered around 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

However, the news station adds the family had expressed frustration at apparent miscommunication among the search teams as the days' long search wore on.

An autopsy on the victim is planned.

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