COLUMBUS, Ind. – The Bartholomew County Water Rescue Team recovered the body of a deceased male on Thursday afternoon in the Driftwood River near the Lowell Fishing Site at the intersection of N. County Road 325W and Lowell Road.
The body was turned over to the Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office. On Thursday night, the man was identified as Darrell Voelz, 62, of Columbus.
Bartholomew County Coroner Tom Barrett said his office was called to the scene after the Water Rescue Team located Voelz’s body at around 1:15 p.m.
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) had been searching in the area to investigate Voelz’s disappearance. His friends reported him missing on Wednesday and said he chose to stay behind Saturday as they vacated cabins along the river near the 5000 block of N. County Road 250W as flood waters rose.
When the Swift Water Rescue team checked the area of the cabins on Sunday, they did not locate Voelz.
Barrett said a forensic autopsy has been scheduled, and the death investigation is continuing in cooperation with BCSO.
Voelz-Courtesy-BCSO