Body Pulled From Carnegie Lake In Highland Park
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HIGHLAND PARK (KDKA) - A mystery unfolding at a popular Pittsburgh recreational spot Sunday as investigators are trying to find out how a man would up dead in Highland Park.
Police aren't releasing much information on the investigation yet because there's little to go on so far. The
Pittsburgh Police and EMS crews were called out to Highland Park just after 12:30 p.m. after a man who regularly walks his dog in the area discovered a body in what's known as Carnegie Lake.
"EMS Rescue 1 did pull the body of an unidentified adult male from the water and at this point, police and the medical examiner are investigating," Pittsburgh Public Safety Department Spokesperson Chris Togneri said.
The male has since been identified as Louis Mudd Jr., 48, of Pittsburgh.
The lake sits near the swimming pool and a nearby picnic shelter and volleyball court. It's a popular fishing spot and place where visitors feed the ducks. So far, police don't have much information on the case.
"At this point, no clue how he got in the water, how he died. That's gonna be all part of the investigation," Togneri said.
Olga Watkins lives just a few blocks from Carnegie Lake and has walked her dogs there daily for more than 11 years.
"When the pool's not open, this part of the park is very quiet. So, if somebody... it could have been an accident," she said.
Watkins says a spring drips onto stairs above the lake and makes them very slippery. But she also realizes the death may not have been accidental.
"Somebody with bad intentions would have plenty of opportunity in this part of the park day or night because it can be very, very quiet over here." she said.
That peaceful atmosphere is why Daniel and Bethany Snoke exercise there daily and were surprised to hear about the discovery.
"There's usually a couple of guys here who pull up in the morning and throw their fishing rods in and drink their cup of coffee in the morning," Daniel Snoke said.
"I grew up in this neighborhood and it was always lily pads and we would go to the pool or the volleyball court and never thought anything of it," Bethany Snoke said.
The body was taken to the medical examiner's office. So far, no word on a possible identification or on a cause of death.