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By LIZZIE BOWEN | Staff Writer

The body of a missing boater has been recovered. On Saturday, Sept. 24 at approximately 11:33 a.m. an incident occurred on Lay Lake in Shelby County that resulted in a missing boater.

A 2022 Ranger bass boat was found vacant in the area and the search began for the missing boater. Calera Dive Team, Alexander City Rescue Squad, Childersburg Rescue Squad, the Alabama Law Enforcement’s Agency’s (ALEA) Aviation Unit and troopers from ALEA’s Marine Patrol Division were all searching for the missing boater according to Sergeant Jeremy J. Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

At approximately 8 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 25 the body of the missing boater was recovered on Lay Lake. The boater has been identified as David D. Etheridge, 51, of Arbor Cove in Hoover.

Etheridge’s body was recovered near the same location where he originally went missing in Spring Creek on Lay Lake.

There is no further information available at this time as Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Marine Patrol Division continue the investigation.