The body recovered from Center Hill Lake Memorial Day morning has been identified as the remains of a man reported missing on Saturday.
Dead is 31 year old Justin Nicholas Roper of Smithville.
According to Sheriff Patrick Ray, Central Dispatch was notified at 9:16 a.m. Monday by the TWRA that a body was found in the lake close to the Holiday Haven area. The body was recovered from the lake shortly thereafter by TWRA and a Detective from the Sheriff’s Department.
A search began Saturday afternoon after a woman reported that her husband had gone missing at the Holiday Haven Boat Ramp. “On Saturday May 23rd at 12:05 p.m. DeKalb Central Dispatch received a call of a missing man at the Holiday Haven Boat Ramp. The complainant was the wife of the missing man. She reported that on Friday night, May 22nd she and her husband had spent the night in their vehicle at the boat ramp. According to the woman, her husband had walked down toward the boat ramp to go swimming and never returned. Deputies and a Detective with the Sheriff’s Department arrived on the scene and started a missing person investigation. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) and the Corps of Engineers were also notified and assisted in the search.
The case remains under investigation by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department