Missing Baxter Man Identified As Body Found Floating In Center Hill Lake

A Baxter man missing since March has been identified as the man found floating in Center Hill Lake.

Dekalb County Sheriff Patrick Ray said the man is 37-year-old William Houghtaling Jr. The body was found floating face down in the lake April 6th at the Johnson’s Chapel Recreation near a boat ramp.

An autopsy revealed the identity as Houghtaling Jr. The identification of the body was also found tucked in one of the socks. The rest of the body was bare.

A joint investigation ongoing that includes the District Attorney General’s Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

Ray contacted the District Attorney General’s Office when the body was found. The office then contacted TBI due to a possible multi-county case.

Houghtaling Jr. was reported missing by the Cookeville Police Department in March. The body was found by a fisherman in April, who contacted law enforcement shortly after.