A Belleville area man was found dead beneath the water in a pond near the Best Western Motel on the west side of Centralia on Sunday.
The name of the man has not yet been released by the Clinton County Coroner’s office pending notification of family.
Centralia Police Chief Greg Dodson says the body was found by Centralia Firefighters using a boat to search the water after a jacket belonging to the man was found in the pond by a police officer who had been called to the motel to a report of a missing or endangered person.
Dodson says family members had called police around 10 Sunday morning to report they had not had any contact with the man who was staying at the hotel since Friday evening. The family indicated the man had been experiencing mental health issues and was worried for his safety. They had come to the motel Sunday morning to try and locate him.
Dodson says the motel staff was able to pull up video surveillance footage showing where the man was last seen walking toward a drainage pond just north of the hotel late Friday night or early Saturday morning.
Dodson says at this time foul play is not suspected, but a full autopsy will be scheduled at a yet-to-be-determined date. Since the pond is located about 150 feet outside the Centralia City Limits, the investigation has been turned over to the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department and Coroner.
