Woman finds body in water

A woman walking her dog Monday at the boat ramp on Highway 444 in Lenoir City discovered a body floating in the water.

William Stanley McCall, 69, Friendsville, had not been reported missing. "He told his wife he would be gone for a little while," Loudon County Sheriff Tim Guider said.

The woman who found McCall's body in a location often referred to as the fisherman's parking area noticed white tennis shoes and called 911. The call came in about 6:39 p.m. Monday, Guider said.

"There was no trauma to the body," Guider said. "From our observation, he wasn't in the water very long. If the body hadn't been found when it was it would have made the investigation more difficult."

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and Tennessee Valley Authority also responded to the scene in an effort to find the victim's vehicle. TWRA's boat and sonar were used in the recovery.

Loudon County Dive Rescue arrived on scene with two divers and one person maintaining the shore, Guider said. They were able to locate the vehicle, a 1995 Chevrolet Corvette, within 30 to 40 minutes. It was found about nine feet under the water off the right side of the boat ramp.

"The dive team's response and quick recovery of the vehicle was very useful and appreciated in our investigation," Guider said, adding that he thought the victim came out of the car's window because it was down.

"There were some delays due to the weather, but they worked mostly right through the pouring down rain," he said about the dive team.

"We're still waiting on the autopsy and toxicology report," Guider said. "It could take several days for the autopsy, and a few weeks for the toxicology."

Foul play is not suspected, the sheriff said.