A 20-year-old Monroeville man drowned at DeSoto State Park in early June 2019, becoming the second person to die at the northeast Alabama park within a single week.
Authorities identified the victim as Franklin Banks of Monroeville. The drowning occurred on a Friday evening, according to reports confirmed by park and emergency officials.
Second Tragedy Within Days
The death came less than a week after 40-year-old Joseph Nicolas Cantrell of Georgia drowned at the park’s falls on Memorial Day. Witnesses told rescue crews that Cantrell jumped from a cliff into the water below the falls and never resurfaced.
DeSoto State Park sits atop Lookout Mountain in DeKalb County, where natural falls and swift water attract swimmers and cliff jumpers throughout the warm months. The back-to-back fatalities drew renewed attention to the hazards the park’s waters can pose for visitors.