70-year-old duck hunter who allegedly murdered 2 men found dead in swamp

David Vowell was found near the alleged murder scene on Saturday.

January 30, 2021, 10:39 PM

David Vowell, the 70-year-old man accused of killing two fellow duck hunters in rural Tennessee earlier this week, was found dead on Saturday.

Vowell was found dead in Reelfoot Lake, not far from where the two men were fatally shot on Monday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said.

Chance Black, 26, and Zachery Grooms, 25, were at Reelfoot Lake in northwest Tennessee on Monday morning when Vowell approached them and got into a verbal altercation, District Attorney Tommy Thomas told ABC News. Vowell allegedly opened fire and killed both Black and Grooms.

PHOTO: Tennessee Bureau of Investigations agents are asking for help locating a person of interest, identified as David Vowell, in a homicide investigation in Obion County.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigations agents are asking for help locating a person of interest, identified as David Vowell, in a homicide investigation in Obion County.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigations

Thomas said earlier this week that it was unknown whether Vowell knew the two victims.

Vowell's body was found around 3 p.m. local time on Saturday, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said. Authorities said he was positively identified, but an autopsy would be conducted. A cause of death was not announced.

Vowell had fled the shooting scene on foot as his boat was recovered and the car he drove to the boat ramp was also seized, Thomas said Wednesday.

He had been wanted on two counts of first-degree murder. He was considered armed and dangerous, authorities said.

PHOTO: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation found the dead body of David Vowell in Reelfoot Lake State Park in northwest Tennessee on Saturday, January 30, 2021. He was allegedly responsible for the murder of two fellow duck hunters.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation found the dead body of David Vowell in Reelfoot Lake State Park in northwest Tennessee on Saturday, January 30, 2021. He was allegedly responsible for the murder of two fellow duck hunters.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

The search was conducted in a large, extremely rural area -- Reelfoot Lake State Park -- near the Missouri and Kentucky borders. Reelfoot Lake itself is 15,000 acres and is surrounded by thick, murky swampland filled with cypress trees.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation posted footage of them searching the area on Friday, showing the adverse conditions they were dealing with.

ABC News' Emily Shapiro and Matt Foster contributed to this report.