Empty canoe, beer cooler lead to discovery of body on Lake Sinclair

Searchers on Lake Sinclair found the body of a man feared to have drowned while canoeing.

Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said 53-year-old Robert Steven Orr, who frequently canoes near his home, was recovered at about 8 a.m. Tuesday morning near where his overturned canoe was spotted close to Oconee Springs.

Orr was seen paddling on the water at about 3:30 p.m. Monday, and the sheriff's office was called a little more than an hour later when his empty canoe, sunglasses and a cooler of mostly empty beer cans were found.

Earlier in the afternoon, he reportedly was intoxicated and disorderly and causing a disturbance near Oconee Springs Park, said Sills, who believed alcohol was a factor in Orr's likely drowning.

"(Monday) night we weren't sure whether he was just laid up at somebody's house or got out on shore and the canoe drifted away," Sills said early Tuesday.

As the hours wore on, officers checked the man's home and did not found any sign of him.

He was known to the sheriff's office, which has investigated several complaints about his behavior, Sills said.

"We would constantly get calls about him harassing his neighbors," Sills said. "Ironically, one of his neighbors called last week to say they haven't seen him in a while."

He surfaced not far from where his personal effects were found.

This story was originally published July 10, 2018 at 6:54 AM.