Man jumps in lake to get loose jet ski and vanishes, officials say. Body later found
A man drowned in an Alabama lake after jumping in the water to grab a jet ski that came loose, outlets report.
Cody Lindsey, 36, was at a boat ramp at Smith Lake Park on June 13, Cullman County Coroner Jeremy Kilpatrick told AL.com.
Lindsey saw his jet ski had come untied, and it was floating away from the dock, WVTM reported. He jumped in the water to grab it at about 4 p.m., according to AL.com.
He slipped trying to grab the jet ski, WIAT reported, and began calling out for help before he went under the water.
Authorities were called and told Lindsey went under the water but had not come back up, AL.com reported.
Lindsey’s body was recovered about five hours later, WIAT reported.
The drowning is under investigation by the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office, WVTM reported.
Family and friends shared their shock at Lindsey’s death on Facebook.
“I still don’t understand,” family member Amy Austin Jarrett said in a June 14 post. “I just know you left us too soon bubba.”
Lindsey was described as a “funny/caring individual with the biggest heart” by those who knew him.
Brittany Wilson, an old classmate of Lindsey’s, remembered their shared ride on the school bus in a Facebook post.
“He was so mischievous but a good guy at the same time,” she wrote. “I haven’t seen him since school but I scrambled to see if it was him when I saw what happened … He was always one of my favorite people on the school bus.”
A service for Lindsey will be held in Cullman on June 16, according to an obituary in the Cullman Tribune.
Smith Lake Park is about 50 miles north of Birmingham.
This story was originally published June 15, 2023 at 9:13 AM with the headline "Man jumps in lake to get loose jet ski and vanishes, officials say. Body later found."
