A judge from Arkansas was found dead in a lake on Sunday in what investigators are calling an accident.
Arkansas County Northern District Judge Jeremiah T. Bueker was last seen on Sunday evening near Mud Lake in Reydell, according to a statement released by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Judge’s body found at bottom of Arkansas lake after he vanished during family vacation: Search crews found the body of an Arkansas judge who went missing during a family lake trip, investigators say. Judge Jeremiah T. Bueker, 48, “ventured off alone” at… https://t.co/LrBVcuFngM pic.twitter.com/mXfzYvhMOF
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Police said that Bueker was spending the weekend in a cabin with his family before vanishing into the lake.
“Bueker, several family members, and friends spent their weekend in Jefferson County, Arkansas, as part of their recreational travel. At some point during their outing, Bueker reportedly ventured off alone. After time had passed and no one had seen or heard from Bueker, worry began to set in. A search for Bueker by family and friends began,” Sheriff Lafayette Woods, Jr. said in the statement.
When friends and family were unable to locate the Republican judge, “worry began to set in,” 911 was called. Several agencies responded to the scene around midnight and used side-scan sonar to search for Bueker.
“The boats used were equipped with side-scan sonar, which provides a birds-eye view of the water,” Woods said.
At around 9:15 a.m., Bueker’s corpse was found at the bottom of the lake. Family members immediately identified the body as Bueker after being pulled from the lake.
He was pronounced dead when the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office was called. Bueker’s death is being investigated as an accidental drowning, and his body will be sent to the state medical examiner for an autopsy, according to the sheriff’s office.
Bueker, 48, served as the county district judge for Arkansas County’s northern division.
“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,” Woods said. “The scour of emotions they must feel right now is devastating.”
Stuttgart Mayor Norma Strabala also expressed “shock and heartbreak” over Bueker’s untimely passing, saying that he “was an important and valuable person in this community,” noting his roles as a wonderful friend, fierce attorney, and Arkansas County Northern District Court Judge for nearly a decade. “I am praying for Sunny, his family, and this community as we mourn this tragic loss.”
