Collinsville teenager drowns in Meramec River

A 15-year-old from Collinsville drowned while swimming in the Meramec Caverns in Sullivan, Missouri on Saturday afternoon.

Horace Grigsby, who would have started his sophomore year at Collinsville High School this fall, is the second person to drown in the Meramec River in the last month, according to incident reports from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. In the last year, five people have drowned in the river.

A witness told KSDK that Grigsby entered the river near the cavern entrance and boat launch area and was pulled out by the current. Emergency responders, Meramec State Park officials and witnesses spent 90 minutes looking for Grigsby before his body was found down river near the RV campsites, according to KSDK and KMOV.

While the Meramec Caverns have raft and canoe float trips available, the website warns against swimming in the river “due to possible dangerous undertows.”

A Meal Train and donation fund has been set up for Grigsby’s family.