Body found in Conecuh River

As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office had not released the identity of a female body found dead Sunday morning in the Conecuh River half-way between the Pollard Landing and Fischer Landing in Century.

In a press release issued by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office, it stated the body of an adult female was found about 11 a.m. Sunday along the bank of the Conecuh River about 1 mile south of Terrell Landing.

The identity of the body or the cause of death is being withheld until the completion of an autopsy.

Officials would not speculate whether the body found was that of Pollard resident Eva Lisenby McBride, who was reported missing from her home on Nov. 24.

Flomaton resident Jeff Fischer discovered the body Sunday morning while he and his dog were boating up the river.

“I run the river all the time and Sunday morning I had my dog with me,” Fischer said.

He said he looked over at the bank on the Santa Rosa side and saw something caught up against the bank. He said when he pulled his boat up close, he knew it was a body.

“I called 911,” Fischer said.

Fischer said the body was fully clothed with a jacket and shoes.

“I knew they were looking for that woman,” Fischer said.

Fischer described the location of the body being located about a bend up from where Big Escambia Creek comes into the river.

He said when he called 911 he learned Escambia County (Fla.) deputies were about to launch from Fischer Landing to head south looking for McBride.

Fischer said he drove his boat to the landing and took one deputy back with him to the body and shortly after, other deputies and a game warden arrived.

He said once officers got on the scene, he left.

Fischer said he didn't want to speculate on who the woman was because the body was submerged face down when he discovered her.