Authorities identify body found in West Point Lake

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Staff report

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LaGRANGE — Authorities have identified a man who’s body was found in West Point Lake on Thursday.

James M. Mealor, 64, of LaGrange was discovered in the lake about 7 p.m. Thursday after a passerby spotted clothing floating in the water, according to the Troup County Sheriff’s Office.

No foul play is suspected in the Mealor’s death, sheriff’s Sgt. Stewart Smith said previously, but his body was sent to the state medical examiner’s office in the Atlanta area for an autopsy. The cause of death had yet to be determined.

Mealor, who was found fully clothed, may have been in the water for three to four days, Smith said. A more concrete time of death will be determined by the autopsy, he added.

Smith was unsure when the autopsy would be conducted, but said the holiday weekend and other pending cases at the medical examiner’s office would play a factor in the time frame.

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