It was a busy morning for law enforcement last Saturday morning after a car was found floating at a local boat ramp, and a body discovered shortly after.

At around 6 am, on March 16, a kayaker navigating the waters of Center Hill Lake came upon a car floating in the water about 20 feet from the Indian Creek boat ramp. A body of a woman was then found floating face down in the water outside the vehicle.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, Rangers with Edgar Evins State Park, the Corps of Engineers, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation responded to the scene.

A statement released by Susan Niland, Senior Public Information Officer for TBI stated that, “At the request of 13th Judicial District Attorney General Bryant Dunaway, TBI special agents joined investigators with the DeKalb Co Sheriff’s Department, Tennessee State Parks, and the Army Corps of Engineers, in a death investigation at the boat ramp at the end of Indian Creek Road. Crews responded to a 911 call around 6am Saturday that a body and vehicle were in the water at Center Hill Lake.”

“The woman, whose body was recovered, has been identified as 61-year-old Terri Lynn Patterson. An autopsy is scheduled to be performed. The investigations remain active and ongoing,” stated Niland.

Authorities would not comment on any further information in the case.