LOWNDES COUNTY INVESTIGATING BODY FOUND AT LOCK AND DAM

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LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) — A body has been found at the Columbus Lock and Dam.

That’s the same location where the Lowndes County Sheriff’s department was looking for a missing Columbus Man, but no connection has been confirmed.

The investigation continues on a missing person report that was issued earlier for Columbus native William Darnell.

Now, a body was found earlier Sunday evening at the Tombigbee Lock and Dam.

60-year-old William Darnell has been missing since Thursday morning. Earlier Sunday evening officials found a body  where he went missing at the Tombigbee Lock and Dam.

“We have located a black male and have recovered the body from the water and at this point we’re still in the very early stages of investigation and we’ll know more later In the night or on tomorrow,” Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant said.

Darnell’s family first noticed on Friday that they hadn’t seen him, so they began to ask questions. They visited his home and talked with his neighbors who said they last saw him Thursday morning.

“So I then called the housing authorities to go over there so that they can open the door and I could look into his apartment,” Darnell’s sister Patricia Lindsey said.

But Darnell wasn’t home, and family members said that’s when they started to panic. Saturday his sister came across Darnell’s vehicle on Waverly Ferry Road.

“I was taking the back road to get to Walmart and I saw my brother’s car and I called my mom and she said my brother-in-law had seen the car here the day before,” Lindsey said.

When she found the car the doors were unlocked, something she said her brother would never do.

Lindsey said it was also strange that Darnell’s clothes were found on the bank folded up along with his hat, glasses, and his wallet which still had all of his money inside.

“My brother don’t fold his clothes, period,” she said.

Family members said Darnell is a diabetic and bipolar they say they are unsure if he was taking his medicine.

And While still trying to stay positive in a tough situation, family members are trying to remember the good things about Mr. Darnell.

“He was a family man. He was a really nice person, he got along well with other people and he was friendly,” Lindsey said.

The body has been transported to the Lowndes County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy.