RedactedNarrative: On saturday, july 22 2017, at approximately 10:00 am, officer received a call from the owner of humphrey's ridge marina that one of his campers was out boating on belews lake and noticed a bass boat that was washed up along the shoreline with no one in or around the vessel.  The caller stated that the trolling motor on the vessel was in the water and there were fishing rods and a cooler on the boat. 
      
  The caller was able to relay the vessel registration number which enabled us to identify the owner.  Officer1 attempted to call the phone number listed on the vessel registration and did not get an answer.  Officer2 went to operator's residence and found no one at home.  Officer2 was able to make contact with a neighbor who reported seeing operator on thursday, july 20, 2017 and seeing his boat trailer hooked up like he was preparing to go to the lake.
  
  Contact was then established with the pastor of the church operator attended, who informed investigators that operator had no living relatives.     
  
  Officer1 was the first to arrive on scene at approximately 11:30 am and reported finding the vessel with the trolling motor in the water, fishing poles lying on the deck of the vessel, and the key in the ignition in the off position.  Also on deck was a cooler which contained several ice packs that were no longer frozen.
       
  At that time rockingham county first responders were notified in order to begin a search for operator as the incident began to gain public attention.  Investigators received numerous calls from individuals claiming to have seen the vessel in the same location on friday, july 21, 2017.  One individual reported having noticed the vessel on thursday, july 20, 2017 at approximately 7:00 pm with no one on board.  No one reported having witnessed an operator on the vessel or having actually witnessed operator entering the water.  Therefore, no one was available to fill out a 4.1 report form.
       
  Several search and rescue groups began searching for operator with the aid of helicopters, k-9s, sonar, drag equipment and divers.  On july 28, 2017 at approximately 4:00 pm, the body of operator was recovered floating in the water nearby where the boat was originally found.
  
  *******************nothing further, end of report*************************************
  