Gulson Elvé died attempting to rescue Greffania Merilus from drowning, Signal Mountain, Tennessee April 28, 2024. Merilus, 23, and Elvé, 20, student, were hiking with two other friends before Merilus began wading in a pool of water at the base of an overflow dam. While moving through the water, Merilus encountered a steep drop-off, at which point she slipped off algae-covered rocks and fell into water about 6 feet deep. Elvé reacted immediately and moved to the water’s edge, where he waded toward Merilus before jumping into the deeper water and reaching Merilus. Elvé attempted to move her back toward wadable water, but Merilus, panic-stricken and flailing, grasped him and, within seconds, both submerged and did not resurface. One of their friends called 911 and police responded to a trailhead about a mile from the pool. Police reached the dam and entered the water, at which point they retrieved Merilus about 20 minutes after the incident occurred. Police attempted CPR, but were unsuccessful in reviving Merilus, who drowned. Elvé was retrieved from the water by a dive team about an hour-and-a-half after his rescue attempt. He also had drowned.
2024-0000141-10549Gulson Elvé
Birchwood, TN