Searchers find body of Arkansas sheriff's deputy who went missing at Lake Ouachita in July

Lake Ouachita - - 1/6/06
Lake Ouachita - - 1/6/06

Searchers have found the body of an Arkansas sheriff’s deputy who went missing at Lake Ouachita last month, authorities confirmed Saturday morning.

Keith Wright, a Grant County sheriff’s deputy, was found dead near the waters north of Mountain Harbor Resort at about 7 p.m. on Friday, Grant County Sheriff Ray Vance said.

Wright disappeared July 19 as he and another man dove into the lake while boating, a news release by the Montgomery County sheriff’s office states.

Their party barge drifted away from them, and while the other man was able to make it to shore and await rescue, searchers were unable to locate Wright.

Before becoming a deputy at the Grant County sheriff's office, Wright previously worked as a Pine Bluff police officer and a Pulaski County sheriff's deputy.

Vance said he hoped the discovery would help the deputy’s family find closure. Wright will be sorely missed, Vance said.

“It was a mistake,” the sheriff said. “He made a mistake and it turned tragic and now we’ve just got to deal with the grief that we’re experiencing now.”

Upcoming Events