Body Of Arkansas Judge Found At Bottom Of Lake: Police

JEFFERSON COUNTY, AR — The body of an Arkansas judge was found at the bottom of a lake over the weekend, according to authorities.

The remains of Arkansas County Northern District Judge Jeremiah T. Bueker, 48, were recovered after he went missing over the weekend, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced in a news release Sunday.

"I truly pray that the successful recovery of Judge Bueker's body by our deputies and Arkansas Game & Fish Wildlife Officers brings some sense of closure to the Bueker Family and those who knew him best,” Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr. said in the news release.

Bueker had been visiting the area with family and friends, and ventured off alone, the sheriff’s office said. He went missing near Mud Lake, which channels into the Arkansas River, according to police. A search by loved ones was not immediately successful and the sun was down, so his family called 911, police said.

First responders deployed boats and, following hours of searching, found Bueker’s body using side-scan sonar shortly after 9 a.m., according to police. His death is being investigated as an accidental drowning, but the remains will be sent to the state medical examiner for an autopsy, police said.