The body of a man recently found in Newnans Lake was identified by Alachua County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday.
Alphonso Williams, 65, of Gainesville, was found at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday after deputies responded to a call from someone who saw an empty motorboat driving around in circles, ASCO spokesperson Sgt. Chris Sims said.
The deputies and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were able to stop the boat, return it to shore and identify the boat’s registered owner as Williams, Sims said.
The deputies began to call Williams’ family members, who said he regularly went out fishing alone. Based on other information provided by the family, the deputies had reason to believe Williams might have fallen off of the boat, Sims said.
Two deputies began searching the top layer of the water but had to call in the agency’s Marine Operations and Underwater Recovery Team to use sonar technology to explore deeper in the lake, Sims said.
Using the sonar technology, Williams’ body was found at the bottom of the lake. Medical examiners are still determining his cause of death, Sims said.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is continuing to investigate how the boating accident occurred, Sims said.
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