Authorities have identified a boater whose body was recovered from Watauga Lake late Thursday morning as a Johnson City restaurant owner.
According to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the body of 46-year-old John Wrestler was recovered around 11:30 a.m. Wrestler was the owner of Scratch Brick Oven, a pizzeria located on Unaka Avenue in Johnson City.
Matthew Cameron, a public information officer with TWRA, said the agency was first notified of the search for Wrestler on Wednesday morning.
“A witness located an unoccupied sailboat belonging to Mr. Wrestler (Wednesday) morning around 9:30 a.m. about 300 yards from Lakeshore Marina,” Camerson said in a released statement. “The witness notified an employee at the marina who in turn contacted the TWRA dispatch.”
Cameron said TWRA Wildlife Officer John Ripley responded to the scene and an investigation into the discovery of the unoccupied boat began in conjunction with the Carter County Sheriff’s Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
“After an extensive search, the Carter County Rescue Squad located the body of Mr. Wrestler around 11:30 a.m. (Thursday) near the site where the boat was found aground,” Cameron said.
According to Cameron an autopsy has been ordered and the incident remains under a joint investigation by TWRA and the CCSD.