Man drowns attempting to rescue dog in debris-filled Blanco River

FROM STAFF REPORTS

BLANCO — A man died of an apparent drowning after he attempted to retrieve his dog from the Blanco River on June 14 and was swept under a debris-clogged bridge, according to the Blanco County Sheriff’s Office.

At about 6:30 p.m., authorities received a 911 calls from an area of the river at Trainer Wuest Road in the southern part of Blanco County.

They arrived at the scene to find 38-year-old Tony Scott Markve of Shavano Park trapped in debris in an area around a bridge crossing the river.

“This gentleman was visiting the river, a recreational user. His dog went into the water. He went in to save the dog and then was pinned under in the current and was possibly caught in the debris,” said Blanco County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Ben Ablon. “The Blanco River was the scene of recent flooding where we lost quite a bit of property here and in Hays County. You’ve got more water in the area than normally, and with the recent flooding, there’s quite a bit of debris in the low-water crossings and under these bridges.”

The dog passed through the debris under the bridge and was recovered safely.

Fire and EMS workers extracted Markve from the river at about 8:30 p.m., but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by Blanco County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace H.R. Riley.

A preliminary autopsy ruled drowning as the cause of death.

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