LAKE NORRELL — Authorities are investigating the deaths of a man and his son who were found Tuesday morning in a partly submerged vehicle south of Lake Norrell in Saline County.
Saline County sheriff's office Lt. Jeff Silk said deputies were dispatched about 7:25 a.m. to a wooded area south of West Lake Drive and Sanders Ford Road. There, deputies found the bodies of Lonnie Moore, 38, of Salem and an 8-year-old boy in a Jeep Cherokee in the Saline River some 35 to 50 feet from the bank, Silk said. The name of the child has not been released.
The Jeep had been removed from the water and towed away by early afternoon.
The cause of the deaths wasn't yet known, but drowning was ruled out, Silk said, and no foul play was suspected.
Carbon monoxide poisoning was thought to be one possible cause, though Silk said it was too early to know for sure. He said the rear end of the vehicle was in the water with the front end out of it.
"You can be overcome fairly quickly," he said
There was no notable damage to the Jeep and its airbags weren't deployed. The vehicle was facing the bank.
"That's a question I don't know if we can answer," he said as to how the vehicle ended up where it was.
Silk said earlier that a neighbor reported vehicles frequently drive in the area and the dirt road leads right to the bank.
The time of death wasn't known either, but Silk said it was believed to have been sometime overnight Monday into Tuesday. He said family members were aware the two were in the Lake Norrell area and that it was a relative who first called 911.
Silk said earlier Tuesday morning that family members had gathered at the scene, which was closed off by authorities, and that a police chaplain was also there to provide support.
"You can imagine" how they feel, Silk said, calling the deaths "tragic."
Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
