An 80-year-old Sylacauga man disappeared while fishing with his brother on Logan Martin Lake, triggering an overnight search that ended Wednesday morning when crews recovered his body not far from a boat dock. Talladega County Coroner Shaddix Murphy identified the man as Houston Wilson.
Wilson had been operating an 18-foot, 1997 Stratos boat near the Clear Creek Harbor boat ramp while preparing to dock and load it, according to ABC 33/40. His brother went to retrieve their truck and boat trailer, and when he returned, Wilson was gone.
Accounts of exactly when the alarm was first raised differ. ABC 33/40 reported that troopers were notified of the missing boater at about 1:06 a.m. and began search-and-rescue operations, while AL.com reported that Wilson's disappearance was reported at 12:30 a.m. WBRC reported that Pell City's Dive Team received a call about a missing person at 2 a.m., a detail that aligns with what Pell City Fire Chief Jerry Dailey told the station's seed reporting: that his department's dive team responded around 2 a.m. to help with the search.
Crews Pull Wilson From the Water Near the Dock
Wilson's body was recovered near the dock around 9:55 a.m., Murphy said, according to the same ABC 33/40 report. AL.com, citing its own reporting on the recovery, said dive teams from Pell City and Lincoln found him roughly 25 to 30 yards from the bank in about 10 feet of water, capping what that outlet described as a nine-hour search.
The response drew in multiple agencies. The Talladega County Sheriff's Office, the Pell City and Lincoln dive teams, the Renfro Volunteer Fire Department, the New London Volunteer Fire Department, and the Childersburg Rescue Squad all assisted with the search and recovery effort, per ABC 33/40's reporting.
Cause of Death Still Under Investigation
Murphy said Wilson may have slipped off the pier and fallen into the water, possibly striking his head, and he added that the circumstances of Wilson's death remained under investigation. WBRC's reporting offered a different note from the coroner, stating that Murphy did not believe the cause of death was drowning. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's Marine Patrol Division is investigating.
WVTM reported separately that the coroner believed it was likely a health event that caused Wilson to fall, and that no autopsy was expected. The exact sequence of what happened to Wilson before he went into the water has not been definitively established across the available reporting.
