Body removed from Lake Loretta

ALBANY — Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler said late Wednesday afternoon that a man whose body was recovered from Lake Loretta by Dougherty County Search and Rescue personnel earlier that morning had been identified but his name was being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin.

“The problem is we can’t locate a family to notify,” Fowler said. “And we can’t find anybody who knows the guy. He’s had addressees in three different counties — Dougherty, Lee and Baconton (in Mitchell County). If we haven’t heard anything by 10 a.m. Thursday, we’ll post his picture on the courthouse steps after an autopsy is done.”

Officials with the Albany Police Department, the Albany Fire Department, Dougherty County Emergency Medical Service, and the coroner’s office responded to Lake Loretta at approximately 10:41 a.m. First responders were dispatched after two joggers reported seeing a body floating in the water. Officials say there was no identification on the victim’s body when it was recovered.

Fowler did confirm that the body was that of a white male. Albany police later said the victim is approximately 60 years of age and that no foul play was initially expected in his death. Fowler said he did not immediately know how long the body had been in the water.

A release by the Albany Police Department said an autopsy would be performed to determine cause of death, adding the man has been identified and the notification of next-of-kin process had started.

The body was discovered in Lake Loretta, located near Covenant Presbyterian Church on West Edgewater Drive.