At 3:09 PM, Saturday, June 25, 2022, Bulloch County 911 dispatched Bulloch County Sheriff Deputies and Bulloch County Fire Department to assist in locating a missing man who had been fishing in a local pond before disappearing.
The pond he was fishing in is located in the southern end of Bulloch County on J.M. Strickland Road near J. Wynn Road.
According to Bulloch County Coroner, Jake Futch, the Florida man was visiting friends here and went fishing in their pond on Saturday. When he did not return they went to look for him and located a boat capsized in the pond. There was no sign of the fisherman.
They called Bulloch County 911 to report the man missing. When Sheriff's deputies arrived on the scene they began to search the perimeter of the pond. Shortly after beginning their search they found the man near the edge of the pond.
He was removed from the pond and Coroner Futch and Bulloch County Sheriff Investigators were requested to the scene.
Corner Futch identified the man as Thomas Ott, 39 with a Tallahassee, Florida address. He said, Ott has a history of seizures and they are not sure if that may have contributed to him falling into the water.
Corner Futch is sending the deceased man to the the GBI crime lab in Savannah to determine the cause of death. The assumption at this point is drowning, according to Corner Futch.
Bulloch County Sheriff's Department and the Bulloch County Coroner's' office is handling the investigation.
Grice Connect extends our condolences to the friends and family of Mr. Ott.
