The search for an Indianapolis man was called off when a body matching his description was found in an old quarry near the Shelby County town of St. Paul.
Christopher Easton, 20, was with friends at White Rock Park where he was last seen in a camping area around 5:30 p.m. Sunday. A search dog found the scene near an old quarry on the property that is used for swimming. Divers found the body near a small dock in the middle of the water.
"I just hope it doesn't hurt anybody, that nobody wants to come out here, because this is a fun place," said camper Lori Walston, "I just feel really sad for the family."
Walston said Easton's mother approached her Monday morning and showed her a picture of her son, Christopher. Walston hadn’t seen him.
"She was pretty upset. As a parent, you're going to be concerned regardless how old they are. I mean, my heart goes out to her," Walston said.
A Shelby County deputy coroner said it appeared Easton had drowned.
Officials from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said the drowning did not appear to be suspicious.
"I can't speculate what type of accident it is. It's just some type of accident or an incident I should say," explained DNR officer Travis Stewart.
A tragic beginning to this first official weekend of summer and a reminder, authorities say, to be careful near any water, but especially at a place like White Rock Park, where the water is in places more than 20 feet deep and has no lifeguards.
"It only takes a second. You've got to know how to swim," said Kim Thompson, who came to the park with her family from Speedway. "You've got to know what type of environment you're swimming in. I mean, especially with cliff diving - you've got to be a pretty good swimmer."
While the coroner says the preliminary cause of death is drowning, they will know for sure after an autopsy is performed Tuesday. It's also unclear if drugs or alcohol where involved. It will take several weeks before toxicology results are available.
