MADISON, N.C. — Rockingham County sheriff’s deputies used department-issued throw ropes to reach and evacuate an unconscious 6-year-old from a steep embankment beside the Dan River on Sunday, July 19, according to multiple local reports citing the sheriff’s office.
WXLV ABC45 reported July 20 that Deputies Z. Warner and J. McCollum were the first law-enforcement officers to arrive after the sheriff’s office received a report of a child in distress while floating on the river near Madison. ThinBlueNews is withholding the precise location published by the source because the emergency involved a minor.
Deputies anchored throw ropes to trees
Warner and McCollum moved through wooded terrain to reach the group. The deputies then deployed throw ropes, tied them to trees and used the anchored lines to help bring people up from the steep embankment near the water, according to the local account.
The child was breathing and had a pulse but was unconscious when the deputies reached the child, the sheriff’s office said. The deputies carried the child out on foot to an ambulance waiting nearby for further medical attention.
WXII 12 independently reported the throw-rope evacuation, the child’s condition when found and the sheriff’s office statement that the child is expected to fully recover. ThinBlueNews is not publishing the child’s identity or adding a diagnosis, prognosis or other private medical detail beyond the official public account.
Multi-agency response supported the rescue
The sheriff’s office credited a broad response that included Rockingham County 911 Communications and Emergency Services, Madison Police, Madison Rescue, Reidsville Rescue, Eden Rescue and fire departments from Huntsville, Madison, North West and Bethany.
The response shows the practical value of carrying water-rescue equipment on patrol. Warner and McCollum arrived before the larger rescue team, used the throw ropes available to them and created a way out of terrain that was difficult to climb while moving an unconscious child.
Sheriff’s office emphasizes water safety
In its statement, the sheriff’s office urged people recreating around water to use appropriate flotation devices, maintain a way to communicate and understand their abilities and the conditions—especially when young children are present.
Readers can find more verified public-safety work in ThinBlueNews’ police rescue news, police hero stories and first responder news coverage.
Sources, visual and video notes
- WXLV ABC45: “Rockingham County deputies rescue 6-year-old in distress on river in Madison, NC,” published July 20, 2026. The full public article supplied the deputies’ names, throw-rope details, condition reported at the riverbank, evacuation sequence, water-safety guidance and assisting-agency list, all attributed to the sheriff’s office.
- WXII 12: “Rockingham County deputies rescue 6-year-old after possible drowning,” published July 20, 2026. The full article independently corroborated the response, steep embankment, throw ropes, unconscious-but-breathing condition and expected recovery.
- WFMY News 2: “Two Rockingham County deputies rescue unconscious 6-year-old from Dan River,” published July 20, 2026. The canonical story URL and headline were verified through Google News; the publisher returned an access-denied page to this run, so no unique claim from that article was used.
Featured-image note: The inspected local pages did not offer a clearly reusable real incident or responder photograph. WXII used generic water imagery, and WXLV used a sheriff’s-office emblem rather than an incident image. ThinBlueNews used a clearly labeled typography-only editorial card instead of republishing generic, rights-unclear or fake rescue imagery.
Video note: The directly inspected WXLV and WXII pages did not expose official bodycam, rescue or incident video or an embeddable player, and search records did not identify a public official video. This report is based on the sheriff’s office account relayed by local outlets rather than footage, so the video-led publication gate did not apply.
If an agency representative, responder or reader sees anything that should be corrected or updated, please contact ThinBlueNews through our corrections and editorial standards page.