Authorities in Lee County recovered the body of a Columbus man in a lake in Tombigbee State Park Wednesday.
Lee County Coroner Carolyn Green confirmed that Robert Wigley, 69, of Columbus died Wednesday as he was trying to put his boat in the water. Authorities believe the boat started to float away from him so he jumped in the water to get it shortly after noon. Witnesses from a cabin on a hill overlooking the lake called 911 when they didn’t see him emerge from the water, Green said.
Wigley’s body was recovered at about 2:40 p.m., Green said.
Authorities believe the cause of death was drowning, Green said. Wigley’s body is scheduled for autopsy at the Mississippi State Crime Lab in Pearl Friday to confirm the cause of death.
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