Body Found Near Lake Eufaula Has Been Identified As Missing Elderly Woman

A woman's body was found Tuesday morning near the Mud Creek Bridge near Lake Eufaula and she has been identified as Nellie Wallis, 78, who was the subject of a statewide Silver Alert Monday evening, police said. 

McAlester Police Chief Gary Wansick said Tuesday afternoon that authorities have notified the family, according to the McAlester News-Capital.

"We will be looking for an autopsy report from the state Medical Examiner's office," Wansick told the News-Capital. "Right now, we have nothing to indicate foul play."

Pittsburg County Sheriff Joel Kerns said a man walking his dog spotted the body and notified the police, who later found a vehicle approximately five to six miles from the body off of U.S. Highway 69 that they believe belongs to the woman. 

"We don't know if there's foul play or not," Kerns said. 

McAlester Police Gary Wansick has requested the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation look at the vehicle, Kerns said. 

The body has been turned over to the medical examiner for identification and to determine a cause of death, Kerns said.