Child who drowned in Jackson County lake is found after hourslong search

Authorities found a child who drowned in a Jackson County lake after a three-hour search, authorities said Tuesday evening.

Sheriff John Ledbetter said a Department of Marine Resources dive team found the child about 4:10 p.m. The child was around 4 years old, he said.

Jackson County first-responders began searching for the child in Goodes Mill Lake Tuesday afternoon when they learned the toddler had disappeared from a dock near 10501 Presley’s Outing Road.

Jackson County Emergency Management Director Earl Etheridge said authorities were first unsure whether the child had drowned, so sheriff’s deputies and fire department crew searched in water and on land.

Ledbetter said the child was last seen with family 10 minutes before the sheriff’s office received the emergency call.

The area is close to Presley’s Outing RV park near the Mississippi-Alabama state line.

Authorities have not identified the child.

This story was originally published July 18, 2023 at 2:04 PM.