Investigators are hoping autopsy results will provide a cause of death for a man whose body was found floating in a pond along CR 2291 in the Macedonia area near Tarkington on Sunday evening.
The body was found around 5:15 p.m. by a group of nearby residents who were intending to fish in the pond on an abandoned property, said Capt. Ken DeFoor, a spokesperson for the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office.
“Our investigators found personal items lying along the banks of the pond. It appears the man may have been swimming and experienced some difficulties in the water,” DeFoor said.
The body, identified only as a white male, was wearing underwear. The man’s other clothing was found along the bank.
“It appears he had been in the water for at least a couple of days,” DeFoor said.
At this time, authorities are still working to positively identify the man.
When asked if he lived on the property, DeFoor said the pond was on the same property as an abandoned house that appears to be uninhabited. The body did not have obvious trauma, so DeFoor said investigators do not believe he was attacked by an alligator or another animal while he was in the water.
“We are hoping the autopsy will give us a time and cause of death,” he said.
Pct. 5 Justice of the Peace Wade Brown came to the scene to conduct an inquest and order an autopsy. Once the man has been identified and his next of kin have been notified, his name will be released to the media.
Tarkington VFD helped authorities recover the body from the water.