The body of 14-year-old Benjamin Clapp, a ninth-grade student at Peoples Academy, was recovered Thursday morning, August 8, 2024, from the Lamoille River in Morristown, Vermont, after an hours-long search. The previous evening, Clapp had gone missing while swimming with a friend near the B Street Power Dam.

The Morristown Police Department received a call at approximately 5:51 p.m. on Wednesday from a bystander who had seen the boy in distress. Clapp and his friend had been swimming and jumping off rocks downstream from the dam when Clapp struggled in the water. Despite the friend’s attempts to help, Clapp was pulled under and did not resurface.

Local authorities, including the Morristown Police Department, Morrisville Fire Department, Morristown EMS, Johnson Water Rescue, Stowe Mountain Rescue, and the Vermont State Police Underwater Recovery Team, were quickly mobilized to search for the missing teen. The search was suspended late Wednesday night but resumed early Thursday morning.

Around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, the Vermont State Police Underwater Recovery Team located Clapp’s body in the river. “The preliminary investigation has indicated that he was swimming with a friend and became submerged in the water. The friend tried to rescue him but was unsuccessful,” said Morristown Police Chief Jason Luneau.

The B Street Power Dam area is a favored spot for locals to swim during the summer, but authorities have cautioned about the risks, especially in the dam’s vicinity. Police highlighted that while the Lamoille River is a well-known swimming location for Morrisville, Vermont residents, the dam presents significant hazards when approached too closely.

Authorities have classified Clapp’s death as accidental, and an autopsy is scheduled to confirm the exact cause. 

The Lamoille South Supervisory Union has announced that mental health resources will be available to Peoples Academy students, staff, and parents starting Friday afternoon.