Perry County man found dead in Saddle Lake arrested days earlier

Anthony Evrard, a 43-year-old Tell City man, was identified as the body found near a boat ramp at Saddle Lake in Perry County on Monday morning, May 25. Fishermen spotted the body floating in the Hoosier National Forest lake around 7:15 a.m., triggering a nearly 10-hour scene response that kept Saddle Lake and Saddle Lake Road closed until 5:15 p.m. on Memorial Day.

The Perry County Sheriff’s Office worked the scene with the Perry County Coroner’s Office, U.S. Department of Agriculture U.S. Forest Service personnel and the FBI. Sheriff Dave Faulkenberg said investigators still have to sort out what happened and must rule out everything from accidental drowning to criminal involvement before drawing conclusions. Officials have said there were no known suspects and no active threat to the public.

An autopsy was completed Thursday, but lab and toxicology results were still pending, leaving the cause and manner of death unresolved. Until those results are returned, authorities have not said how Evrard died or whether anything at the lake led to his death.

The death came just days after Evrard was arrested in Vanderburgh County on May 22 on a resisting law enforcement charge. Deputies responded around 11:42 p.m. to a call near 739 Harpy Street about a man peeking into women’s apartment windows. According to the account, deputies used a K-9 unit, found Evrard nearby, and said he ran before later surrendering. That arrest shows he had recent contact with law enforcement, but it does not establish what caused his death in Perry County.

Evrard’s obituary said he worked as a fuel truck driver for Pilot and enjoyed hiking, video games, country music and spending time with friends and family. Visitation was scheduled for Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Huber Funeral Home in Tell City, as the investigation into his death continued under county, federal and forestry authorities.