Missing fisherman’s body found near boat with ‘freshly caught fish,’ AR cops say

A man who went missing during a fishing trip to Pine Bluff Arsenal has been found dead, according to Arkansas officials.

Ricky Wooten, 63, checked in with his truck and boat at the area’s Plainview Gate on Oct. 15, according to a news release from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

A missing person report was filed for Wooten after he failed to return home and his daughter was unable to reach him, KATV reported.

Deputies found Wooten’s truck parked at the boat ramp and his boat “a short distance off the dock” with “freshly caught fish inside,” but no sign of Wooten, according to the release.

Investigators used “multiple boats equipped with side-scan sonar and live-scope underwater camera capabilities to scan the river,” the sheriff’s office said.

Wooten’s body was recovered shortly before 8 a.m. Oct. 16, authorities said.

“Dad has been found and unfortunately this has turned into the nightmare nobody ever wants to have,” Wooten’s daughter Amy Danielle said in an Oct. 16 Facebook post. “Dad has went to be with the Lord and is no longer suffering on this earth.”

According to the sheriff’s office, preliminary findings suggest Wooten “may have suffered a medical emergency and/or lost his footing” while trying to dock his boat.

A full autopsy will be performed to confirm an official cause of death, authorities said.

“On behalf of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, I extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr. Ricky Wooten,” the release read.