Media

Deputies Recover Body Near Arlington Believed To Be Drowning Victim

Release Date: May 31, 2005

A Shelby County Sheriff’s Detective spotted a body in a tributary of the Loosahatchie River near Arlington early this morning. The investigator saw the man’s body as he walked the bank where the victim disappeared under the water this past Saturday evening.

The detective, a team of his fellow investigators and more than 20 Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Volunteers had spent almost 30 hours the past three days searching the popular fishing spot along Gallaway Levee Road near Highway 205.

Investigators say two men had gone to the riverbank area Saturday afternoon. One of the two men left the area about 6:15 p.m. A short time later, when the man returned to check on his friend, a fisherman reported the victim had been wading near some rocks when he slipped and fell into the deep water.

Chief Billy Phillips and officers from the Gallaway Police Department, rescue workers with the Gallaway Fire Department and Fayette County Emergency Services also assisted the Sheriff’s Office in the rescue effort.

Investigators say the man’s body was taken to the Shelby County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. Although the man has not been positively identified, he is thought to be from the Oakland, Tennessee area.