The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the death of Anthony Zellars, 55. Investigators said Wednesday there were no signs of foul play in the preliminary autopsy.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
Preliminary autopsy results show no signs of foul play in the death of Anthony Zellars, who was reported missing Thursday and found dead Friday in Ford Lake.
Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Geoffrey Fox said Wednesday the preliminary autopsy shows the cause of death appears to be “accidental drowning.”
“Official word is pending blood (toxicology) results,” Fox said in a text message. “No signs of foul play.”
Zellars, 55, was reported missing Thursday after he was last seen about 10 p.m. July 17 at a cookout near the Lake Pointe Apartments, in the 5900 block of Bridge Road in Ypsilanti Township. Deputies released a missing person poster Thursday evening.
About 11 a.m. Friday, an employee of the apartment complex reported seeing a body floating in the water. Two-and-a-half hours later, Zellars was pulled from the water and taken to the Washtenaw County Medical Examiner’s Office.
An autopsy was performed on Saturday, Fox said. The official cause of death won’t be known in the case until the toxicology report is finished, a process that can often take weeks.
Zellars lived in the apartment complex for years. Neighbors said he lived there with his wife and was a friendly, quiet neighbor.
It’s still unknown at this point how Zellars ended up in the lake. Detectives from the sheriff’s office continue to investigate the case.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.