86-Year-Old Grandfather Found Dead in Ohio Lake Where He Liked to Feed Birds

An 86-year-old grandfather has been found dead in an Ohio lake where authorities say he liked to feed birds.

The Lakemore Fire Department said in a Facebook post that they were dispatched on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at around 4:30 p.m. local time to Springfield Lake due to reports of a drowning of an elderly man at the location.

The arriving fire department crew worked with Lakemore Police and the South Summit Dive Team to locate the man but it was “quickly determined that operations would shift from rescue to recovery," authorities said.

“The Summit County Medical Examiner responded to the scene and took jurisdiction of the body,” Lakemore Fire said in their statement. The incident is under investigation by police and the medical examiner's office.

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“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim,” Lakemore Fire added.

The 86-year-old man was eventually identified by the medical examiner's office as Theodore Balko, according to Fox affiliate WJW-TV and Akron.com.

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The Summit County Medical Examiner determined that Balko’s death was accidental or the result of something medical in nature, Akron.com reported.

Lakemore Police Sgt. Rich Morrison told the outlet that Balko’s death was ruled a drowning, but it was also possible he suffered from some kind of medical emergency that caused him to fall into the lake, which bordered his property.

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“It looks like he was [walking near] the edge of the water,” Morrison said. “There was nothing suspicious; this was an unfortunate event.”

A police sergeant told WJW-TV that Balko fed the birds near the lake in his backyard daily. It remains unclear though if Balko was feeding the animals when the incident unfolded.

Balko was an Air Force veteran who worked for Goodyear Aerospace for nearly 40 years, according to his obituary. He was a husband, father and grandfather who “enjoyed fishing.” He is survived by his son, four grandchildren and sisters.

PEOPLE reached out to the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office and the Lakemore Police Department on Tuesday, Jan. 25.

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