Alabama security officer finds man dead inside vehicle in river
Phenix City AL January 16 2020
A man in his 70s was found dead in the Chattahoochee River Tuesday morning, according to Russell County authorities.
Around 1:40 a.m., the Phenix City Police Department got a call from a TSYS security guard who reported seeing a suspicious vehicle across the river, Phenix City Police Capt. Darryl Williams said. When the security guard got closer, he noticed headlights in the river and then called police.
After police assessed the scene, they found an elderly male in the driver’s seat and determined the car plunged down the embankment while he was suffering from a medical incident.
“We believe it’s nothing suspicious and it’s probably health-related,” Williams said.
He was pronounced dead at 5:15 a.m. by Russell County Coroner Arthur Sumbry.
Sumbry is trying to locate a next of kin, so the man’s identity is not being released at this time. The body has been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensics Sciences in Montgomery for the autopsy.
“His death appears to be a possible drowning, or it may be medical-related. But that’s the reason an autopsy is being conducted, to determine the cause,” Sumbry said.
The Columbus Riverwalk near the 14th Street pedestrian bridge behind the TSYS campus.
