Sheriff said Mississippi man drowned after he fell off pier and into lake

Published 5:53 pm Sunday, September 19, 2021

A Mississippi man died Saturday night after he apparently slipped off a pier where he was sitting with his girlfriend at the Natchez State Park Lake.

Adams County Coroner James Lee said he pronounced 27-year-old Eric Minor dead at approximately 10 p.m. Saturday.

Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten said emergency services were dispatched to a lake at the state park at approximately 8 p.m. Saturday. The caller said a person had fallen from the pier into the lake and they were having trouble locating him.

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“They made contact with the caller and she stated that she and (Minor) were sitting on the pier. She had her back turned and he apparently slipped and fell off the pier and he couldn’t swim,” Patten said. “When he hit the water, she jumped up and dove in and tried to save him but was unsuccessful.”

He added that Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the Natchez Fire Department, game wardens and Search and Rescue were called and were able to locate Minor’s body.

“By that time it was too late,” Patten said.