Gainesville Police recovered the body of a 58-year-old man Sunday in Bivens Arm lake.
Richard Niblack’s body was found in the water west of Southwest 13th Street at about 3:50 p.m., Officer Ben Tobias, a GPD spokesperson, wrote in an email. His death was ruled accidental by police while the actual cause of death is still under investigation. Foul play is not suspected.
Abigail Lance, who lives on the lake across from where Niblack was found, said she and friends were outside Sunday afternoon watching pelicans on the lake when a man and a woman in a green canoe rowed up to the group. They stopped in front of them, asking if they had seen a man in a boat.
Lance told them she hadn’t and watched the two paddle away. When the pair reached the other side, she said she heard screaming in the distance.
Police arrived, and Lance saw a body recovered from a blue boat.
Patrol units, members of the Forensic Crime Unit and Joint Aviation Unit assisted in the search and recovery, Tobias said.
Contact Meryl Kornfield at mkornfield@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter at @merylkornfield.