Body found under bridge in Boone County identified

Columbia police and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department have closed down Blackfoot Road after a body was found under the bridge over a creek in Boone County.

The body of 48-year-old Gary Skaggs from Columbia was discovered Sunday afternoon.

Sergeant Michael Perkins with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department said a caller first contacted the Columbia Police Department about a group of people around the bridge and in the creek just before 4 p.m.

“They were in the process of talking to everybody and verifying that everything was OK,” Perkins said. “One of the kids spotted a body underneath the bridge.”

Law enforcement said a preliminary investigation revealed Skaggs may have died from drowning, and that they did not find wounds to indicate foul play.

“Everything looks like, at this point, it was probably just natural causes from a drowning,” Perkins said. “Ultimately that will be a decision that we’ll be hearing from the medical examiners office.”

One family member at the scene said the man went missing last week after he left to find arrowheads in the creek bed, something he did often.

This is a developing story. Stay with ABC 17 News and abc17news.com for updates as they become available.