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Published Wednesday, February 04, 2009 in Local

Hunter found dead on Chattahoochee Bend State Park land

By Elizabeth Melville

The Newnan Times-Herald

The body of a 52-year-old hunter from Lithia Springs, Ga., was found early Wednesday morning on land in west Coweta County being developed as the Chattahoochee Bend State Park.

He was found dead by search and rescue officials with the Department of Natural Resources.

The deceased, Kenneth Watkins, was reported missing by his family after he didn’t return from a hunting trip on Sunday and didn’t show up for work on Monday, according to Coweta County Sheriff Mike Yeager. On Tuesday at approximately 5 p.m., DNR wildlife technicians located Watkins’ vehicle at the entrance area of the park and a search and rescue response ensued within the 3,000-acre property.

A search dog unit with DNR located Watkins in a remote area of the park Wednesday at about 1:15 a.m. According to Yeager, initial findings suggest that Watkins suffered an “unrecoverable medical emergency.”

“There is no evidence of foul play or an accidental discharge,” said Yeager regarding any possible gun shots being involved in the death. “Early indications suggest a possible heart attack.”

Watkins’ body was transported to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab in Atlanta for autopsy.

Watkins was last seen around noon on Sunday when he went hunting by himself, and he didn’t tell family members where he’d be, according to authorities. His family reported him missing in Douglas County when he didn’t return home. When DNR located Watkins’ vehicle Tuesday evening, patrol divisions with the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office responded to the park to assist DNR in the search.

According to Yeager, since there was “little daylight remaining” at that time, a brief search of the immediate area around Watkins’ vehicle was conducted on Tuesday and then the decision was made to reorganize a search party with the sheriff’s office, DNR and the Coweta County Fire Department at 7 a.m. Wednesday.

DNR decided to continue the search Tuesday night with two search and rescue dog units in order to follow any scents before they could be contaminated, according to Yeager. The body was located in the early morning hours Tuesday, and the sheriff’s office assumed control of the investigation. Coweta EMS assisted in the recovery.

“This is an unfortunate situation,” said Yeager. “[Watkins] went out Sunday to hunt and apparently a medical condition came upon him. He was found with his cell phone still charged.

“Despite the extreme weather conditions, the recovery was relatively successful because of interagency teamwork,” the sheriff continued. “Everybody with DNR, the sheriff’s office, the fire department and EMS worked well together to cover such a large area.”

Yeager added that it was an unfortunate situation, but a fortunate recovery because Watkins’ family can have closure.