COLUMBUS, Ind. – Columbus police said during a news conference on Monday they believe Jacquelyn Watts died while trying to help a lost dog near the river.
An autopsy of Watts’ body is scheduled for this afternoon, and they will release the cause of her death at that time. Police reiterated the fact that they do not suspect foul play.
Witness reports seeing Jackie Watts next to river trying to catch small white dog. Police think that may have led to her death. pic.twitter.com/A6IYRYpTzt
— Jesse Wells (@JesseWellsNews) March 6, 2017
According to police, Watts went to Columbus to drop off her dogs and a bunny with family on Friday afternoon.
Witnesses told police they saw a person matching Watts’ description chasing after a small white dog wearing a sweater near the Flatrock River a short time later.
Watts was planning to go out of town on a trip with her husband that evening, and when she didn’t return home, her family reported her missing.
Her vehicle was found in the 2300 block of Riverside Drive Friday around 5 p.m. The car was running, the flashers were on, her purse was still inside, and the passenger door was slightly open. Police say there was no sign of a struggle.
Investigators searched the area for Watts, but the river was moving at a very swift pace and it made the search difficult. They found Watts’ body on a sandbar in the river on 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
Also on Saturday, a picture of a missing white dog named Ringo began circulating on social media. Officers say witnesses confirmed it was the same dog Watts was seen chasing near the river.
Police think Jackie Watts died while chasing a missing dog "Ringo" near the Flatrock river. pic.twitter.com/duz3Kfd3Oy
— Jesse Wells (@JesseWellsNews) March 6, 2017
Ringo’s body was later found on a bank on the east side of the river.
“The bottom line is we lost a very special person,” Columbus Lt. Matt Harris said. “It’s my understanding that Jackie was the type of person that when there was an animal that was sick, she would take that animal in and provide hospice care. So to hear someone making the statement that she was trying to help a lost dog and sadly appears she lost her life doing so, that doesn’t seem out of character for her.”
We will update this story with more information once Watt’s autopsy is complete.
