Thanks, if we can get our WS resident that lives on that creek to give us a clue how high the creek is known to rise, we just may establish that it was up high enough to easily carry a 45 pound body downstream quite some distance.
According to the charts I'm seeing in your article, the creek should have been very swollen and swift the day he came up missing. Record rainfalls just prior.
The creek I live on will carry a fighting grown man down stream a long way given a 1" rainstorm in a short period of time. It goes from scenic peaceful to roaring Class IV whitewater very quick. Normally, it's about 3' deep with a few 5' holes but, to get to consistently deeper water, you have to go downstream a couple miles.
I've seen it rise more than 10' several times in the last 20 years.