Missing woman's body believed found in vehicle in lake

Audrey Jean Bott, 77
Audrey Jean Bott, 77

A body found in a submerged vehicle in Tablerock Lake in Carroll County is believed to be that of a missing 77-year-old Holiday Island woman.

The Carroll County sheriff's office said in a statement that investigators are "confident" the body is that of Audrey Jean Bott, whose disappearance prompted a now-canceled Silver Alert, though a formal identification is still pending.

"We don't have any reason not to believe it's her," Sheriff Randy Mayfield said.

The sheriff's office said crews received a report Thursday afternoon from a resident who had seen a red vehicle days earlier driving back and forth along a bluff near the lake. A fire official responded to the area and found "debris consistent with the vehicle driven by" Bott, the statement said.

Investigators later discovered an apparent path through the brush into the lake. And a dive team then found a vehicle with Bott's license plate on it in 26 feet of water. A woman's body was in the car.

The body was sent to the Arkansas state Crime Laboratory for an autopsy.

Mayfield said there were no preliminary signs of foul play, though investigators are still unclear what caused the car to end up in the water. He said the results of the autopsy may not be available until Monday.

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