Death of man whose body was found in lake ruled suicide

The Cape Girardeau and Bollinger County Major Case Squad announced Sunday afternoon the death of a man whose body was found in a lake Saturday was a suicide.

The body of Terry Dalton, 64, of Cape Girardeau was found in Elk's Lake behind Cape Girardeau Elks Lodge 639.

Because of the suspicious nature of the case, law enforcement was reluctant to release details, especially as evidence continued to point the case more toward a suicide than a homicide, said David James of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department.

Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton said the wounds were self-inflicted, by a handgun.

Concern for Dalton's safety was reported Friday evening, James said.

James said Dalton was not declared missing because of the short amount of time that had passed, but family and friends did become increasingly concerned by Friday evening when Dalton hadn't returned home at a time he normally would have.

At 12:15 a.m. Saturday, a member of the search party looking for Dalton found his body in the lake.

Dalton's vehicle also was found at the scene, but that was not immediately concerning because he was a member of the Elks Lodge, James said.

The case was immediately deemed suspicious, especially since the weapon wasn't promptly discovered and given where the body was found.

"In most cases a self-inflicted wound or suicide is apparent to investigators" the major case squad news release said, "[But because the] location and circumstance of Mr. Dalton's death were not so apparent and of such suspicious nature it required a larger and more in depth inquiry to determine exactly what occurred Friday afternoon."

Clifton agreed with the news release, saying that when a body is found, the first response by police is to treat it as a homicide, and then work backward to determine a cause.

"Death investigation takes longer to eliminate possibilities," Clifton said.

Because of this, autopsy results were not as readily available as they usually are.

Clifton said Dalton's body was found in the lake, as was the weapon. The Missouri State Highway Patrol dive team appeared to be at the scene around 4 p.m. Saturday, searching near the shore on the east side of the lake.

In addition to the dive team, United States Postal Service inspectors from Kansas City and the St. Louis Division assisted in the investigation.

James confirmed that Dalton was working for the U.S. Postal Service in Cape Girardeau at the time of his death.

smaue@semissourian.com

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