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| - Family friend finds body of missing man in Ohiopyle Wednesday, June 11, 2008 By Lawrence Walsh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Homer Ray Brown promised a grieving mother that he would find her only son wherever his body might be in the Youghiogheny River. Mr. Brown, 39, of Sharon, a veteran outdoorsman and former lifeguard, accomplished that sorrowful goal shortly after noon yesterday. He found Esker H. Cottrill III facedown in the water near the left bank of the river, a place shaded by a large overhanging tree, about two miles downstream from Ohiopyle. "He promised me he'd find "Ecky" and, God bless him, he did," said Sherry Cottrill of Washington, Pa. "We are so thankful to Homer and to everyone who searched for my son, and to everyone who sheltered us and fed us here in Ohiopyle. We can take 'Ecky' home now." Mr. Cottrill, 26, of Canonsburg, was swimming with a friend in the rain-swollen river last Friday afternoon when he was caught in the fast-moving current and swept over the 18-foot-high waterfall. A kayaker spotted him but wasn't able to pull him to safety. Mr. Brown, 39, a native of Washington, Pa., said he saw Heather Cottrill on KDKA-TV on Tuesday evening asking for help to find her brother. He has known her and her partner, David Kriston, for many years. He said her emotional appeal brought tears to his eyes. "I said we've got to go find him," said Mr. Brown, referring to his wife, Kathleen, their son Nicholas, 18, and Mike Kelly, 15, a friend of the family. He borrowed $200 to finance the trip. He filled the gas tank of his pickup truck, bought some life jackets and drove to Ohiopyle on Tuesday evening. They met with the Cottrill family and then drove to Washington where they spent the night with Heather Cottrill and Mr. Kriston. They returned to Ohiopyle about 7:30 a.m. yesterday where Mr. Brown promised Sherry Cottrill that he would find her son. The Browns and Mike Kelly followed Heather Cottrill to what is known as the High Bridge, a former railroad bridge about one mile downstream from Ohiopyle. "Heather pointed downstream toward the area where Ecky was last seen," Mr. Brown said. "We walked a little farther down the trail and then made our way down to the river." The hillside was steep, covered with several inches of dead leaves on rain-soaked soil and thick with Mountain Laurel just starting to bloom. Mr. Brown, his son and Mike Kelly eased themselves into the 60-degree water, lifted their legs to prevent their feet from getting caught on obstacles on the river bottom and slowly made their way downstream. Mr. Brown wore goggles to see underwater. They took a break about noon, resting on some rocks, and that's when they caught the scent of Mr. Cottrill's body. "We went about 20 yards farther downstream and found him," Mr. Brown said. "We thanked God. I yelled it out. I called Heather on the cell phone. We were both crying. She told the [Ohiopyle] state park people and they arrived in about 20 minutes." The body was across the river from where a cadaver dog on Sunday and Monday indicated Mr. Cottrill might be found under the water. The bodies of drowning victims frequently are found on or near the surface after several days in the water. "I know this river," said Mr. Brown, a disabled construction worker who had open heart surgery earlier this year. "I knew where the current may have taken him. That's why we looked where we did. "Sometimes the amateurs can succeed where the professionals cannot," he added, referring to the efforts of professional diver who searched for Mr. Cottrill on Monday and Tuesday. During an interview in Ohiopyle on Monday afternoon, Sherry Cottrill described her son as a talented handyman who helped his neighbors, especially senior citizens. He graduated from Washington High School, attended Triangle Tech in Pittsburgh for one year and enrolled with his mother to take online courses from the University of Phoenix for one year. "He loved God; his heart was full of Jesus," said his sister, Lilly Miller of Washington, Pa. "He loved to debate religion, especially with me. We would go at it for hours. He was the youngest member of the family, but he acted like the oldest." Another sister, Priscilla Duchi of Canonsburg, said he had nicknames for each of his siblings and his dog, "Blaze," a pitbull he nicknamed "Bumblebee." She said he enjoyed showing his mother the "MOM" tattoo he had on his right forearm and then raising his arm so the letters spelled "WOW." In addition to his mother and sisters, Mr. Cottrill is survived by his three-year-old son, Shane; his father, Esker H. Cottrill Jr.; stepfather James Wilk, all of Washington, Pa.; grandfather Esker H. Cottrill Sr. of Bentleyville; grandmother Alice Marshman and great grandmother Lucille Ackley, both of Washington, Pa. The William G. Neal Funeral Home, Washington, Pa., is handling arrangements. Lawrence Walsh can be reached at lwalsh@post-gazette.com and 412-263-1488.
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