The body recovered late Tuesday afternoon from Lake Guntersville has been identified by family members as that of the man who jumped from the river bridge back on January 5th.

The body – which is believed to be that of Deontae Griffin – was pulled from the water by rescue squad members, about a half mile from the bridge where he was last seen after fleeing from Boaz Police Officers who had attempted to serve a warrant on him.

According to reports at the time when officers knocked on the door of his home no one answered but patrol officers saw Griffin leaving the home in a vehicle later that same night; what followed was a high-speed chase through Albertville and Guntersville – with Griffin eventually bailing out of his vehicle and jumping from the bridge into the cold water below.

Officers reportedly saw Griffin surface after jumping the 75 feet into the water, swimming under the bridge where they lost sight of him; a search of the immediate area turned up nothing.

Police say although family members have identified the body as being that of Deontae Griffin no official determination has yet been made; they say positive identification will come following the autopsy conducted at the Department of Forensic Sciences in Huntsville.

(Sand Mountain Reporter/www.sandmountainreporter.com)