Diving group finds body in Inks Lake

LLANO COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) - Recreational divers exploring the bottom of Inks Lake found a badly decomposed body Tuesday. Llano County Sheriff’s officials are calling the death a homicide, and they suspect foul play.

Chief Deputy John Neff said crews brought the body to the lake’s surface Thursday. Divers located it in a submerged boat under the Highway 29 bridge, which stretches across the Colorado River where it becomes Inks Lake.

“The autopsy is underway today,” Neff said. “We will know a lot more after that, but right now we’re leaning toward foul play.”

Neff also added the condition of the body indicated it had been at the bottom of the lake for “quite some time.”

“It was so badly decomposed,” he said, “we’re not sure if it’s a man or a woman."

He would not comment further on the discovery of the body or why foul play could be behind the person’s death.

"The body was in an advanced state of decomposition, mostly skeletal remains," said Bill Blackburn, Llano County Sheriff.

Blackburn conjectures the body was left on the bottom of the lake a long time ago.

"Anywhere from a year or two, somewhere in there," said Blackburn.

DPS dive teams, Lower Colorado River Authority Rangers, game wardens, Texas Rangers, investigators from the City of Llano and deputies from the Llano and Burnet County Sheriff’s Offices were all part of the investigation initially. Llano County is now handling the case.

Neff said the Travis County Medical Examiner’s office would handle the autopsy. Inks Lake State Park manager Terry Rodgers said he was shocked to learn the news.

“Inks Lake is a very popular scuba diving lake,” Rodgers said. “That area in particular surprises me, because people dive there all the time.”

"I was a little bit shocked and surprised," said Buck Hendrix, a resident of Inks Lake.

Inks Lake is part of the seven-lake Highland Chain. Drought rarely affects the lake, as the Lower Colorado River Authority maintains its level most of the time.