Jacob Sanders Search Update: Velcro Pygmies Lead Fundraising Effort For Bassist Missing After Boat Crash
The search for Jacob Sanders is now reaching one week, and as crews continue to look for the body of the missing Velcro Pygmies bassist, his band and their heartbroken fans are carrying on.
The popular cover band has been keeping fans updated about the search for Sanders, who has been missing for a week and presumed dead after a boating accident in Alabama. After canceling shows for the past week, the band returned for concerts on Thursday and Friday both to honor Sanders and raise money.
“We will be with the Sanders family with heart and soul. But Jacob would be itching to get to the show and to concentrate on music and the crowd for a little while,” band posted on its official Facebook page. “This show and every show we will ever play will have Jacob be a part of it.
“He’s influenced us on and off the stage.”
As show time neared, the band posted another update noting that they were thinking of Jacob Sanders, known to fans as Sandman.
“It’s going to be an emotional show for a lot of people but Sandman would be making fun of us when he saw our guyliner run down our faces and that thought alone means this show is going on! Laugh Jacob laugh.”
Sanders was fishing on the Tennessee River last week with his brother, Jeremiah, when their boat capsized. Authorities said they found the badly damaged craft but there was no sign of the two brothers.
“The boat was pinned under one of the pilings on the bridge on the Wilson Dam side. From what I was told, I didn’t actually see it myself, it was some kind of impact…some kind of accident that the boat had. The hull had pretty substantial damage to it,” said Tim Greer, EMA Director (via ABC 3340).
After a few days the search efforts shifted to recovery, with crews trying to navigate the difficult waters to find the bodies of Jacob and Jeremiah. The Velcro Pygmies gave fans an update on Facebook, saying that conditions over the weekend were not good for divers.
“At about 8:30 this morning TVA shut off the dam giving us what we thought would be perfect recovery conditions. The divers went in and soon were faced with the unexpected challenge of the water level being too low. They found themselves in waist deep water which contrary to conventional wisdom made it nearly impossible to search. Our 3 hour time limit came rapidly and TVA was forced to turn on the turbines again. This increased the water level but also created an unsafe current in which to dive.”
The search has brought an outpouring of support from fans, who have left messages and even offered to help out with the search.
The search continues for missing Florence brothers Jeremiah and Jacob Sanders https://t.co/3VzyeQ4Z4m pic.twitter.com/WhkcJbcMoO
— AL.com (@aldotcom) March 7, 2016
Fans have also come together for a memorial fund remembering Jeremiah and Jacob Sanders. The fundraiser has already brought in close to $6,000 of the $10,000 goal.
It’s not clear where the search for Jacob Sanders heads next. Authorities hinted that there could be an end date for the search for the two.
“We will continue to search and utilize available resources as long as is feasible,” Senior Trooper Jonathan Appling with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Wednesday.
As last weekend’s events showed, search efforts are tricky on that stretch of the Tennessee River and diving conditions can be dangerous. Authorities have not said if they have any further plans to slow water from the dam for further searches.
But while the search for Jacob Sanders continues on indefinitely, fans are continuing to honor Sandman’s memory, sharing pictures on the band’s Facebook page with “We love Jacob” and the band’s name written out on their arms.
[Image via Facebook]
