Search for former Des Plaines woman presumed drowned to take months

The initial search area for a former Des Plaines woman believed to have drowned after she was swept away by the flooded White River in southwestern Indiana last month has been cleared, and the recovery effort is now expected to take a matter of months.

The body of Cathryn McGill, 31, is now believed to be in the main channel of the White River, where searches will be periodic in the coming months, Indiana Conservation Officer Joe Haywood said. In a cold water drowning, a body won’t necessarily rise to surface within a few days as with a warm water drowning, Haywood said.

McGill’s husband, 35-year-old Adam McGill, was rescued by hunters Dec. 29 after the couple exited their pickup truck on Highway 257 when it was swept away by the flooded river. Adam McGill was treated for hypothermia and released from an area hospital.

Though previously living in Des Plaines, the couple most recently resided in Norfolk, Va., where Adam McGill is stationed with the Navy.