Body of man found in Seminole identified

SEMINOLE, Ala. (WALA) - The Baldwin County Sheriff's office identified on Tuesday the body of a man found in a ditch as Garry McArthur, who was reported as missing by family members.

Authorities said the family reported McArthur missing to the Escambia County Sheriff's Office in Florida on Sept. 2. They said the Alabama Department of Forensic Science identified the body of the 57-year-old man through latent fingerprints.

The BCSO got a call to a private property by the owner, who found the body in a ditch on his property on Sept. 6.

"Property owner was out surveying the property this morning and noticed that the gate was open and some saw grass had been knocked down. He traveled down the road to investigate," said Investigator Eric Winberg.

Winberg said the owner came up on a car he didn't recognize. He got out and walked around the car and saw McArthur's body.

"The body was located in a small creek at the end of the road," said Winberg.

Winberg said it appears the body had been there for some time and they were, at the time of its discovery, investigating the body as though foul play were involved. However, sheriff's office officials said Tuesday, Sept. 18, that there no signs of trauma and that foul play was ruled out.