Body of missing Inez resident pulled from river

By Lilly Adkins
BSN Associate Editor

INEZ — The body of a Martin County man who disappeared into the Tug River in the Kermit, W.Va., area in April was recovered from the Tug River Friday at the Lawrence/Martin County line. Arnold “Birdie” Mills, 28, of Inez, went missing around 11 p.m. on April 18 near the Kermit Bridge when he fled into the water to elude law enforcement.Mills’ body was pulled out from under the low water bridge near the Martin/Lawrence County line. The Martin County Rescue Squad recovered the body just inside the Lawrence County line, Martin County Coroner Chris Todd said. “The Lawrence County coroner will do an autopsy since it is required any time there is a drowning,” Todd said.Search and rescue crews spent a full week searching for Mills after he was last seen going into the water.A certified drone operator and cadaver dogs were also at the site along with rescuers from Martin County and Mingo County, W.Va.Todd said that Mills jumped into the river April asConstables Tony Preece and Brad Preece along with Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy Mitchell Bowen were going to do a traffic stop on his vehicle. Todd said they saw him jump out of his vehicle and go into the river.“Mitchell said he saw him go into the water and he went under three times and was calling for help,” Todd said. “They say he is a good swimmer, but that water is swift.”At one point during the search, rescuers said they pulled up a piece of black clothing that matched the color of what Mills was wearing at the time he entered the water.Several agencies were on the scene when Mills’ body was recovered, including Kentucky State Police, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, Martin County Rescue and the Warfield Volunteer Fire Department.