No signs of trauma found in Bishop autopsy, investigation continues

No immediate cause of death was found during the Wednesday afternoon autopsy on the man whose body was found in Black River.

A fisherman alerted authorities at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday after he found a man’s body, later identified as John Eric Bishop, 36, of Poplar Bluff, in the river, approximately one-half to one mile upstream from the Hargrove Bridge.

“Preliminary autopsy findings do not show any trauma to his body,” said Butler County Coroner Andy Moore.

The autopsy was performed on Bishop by Dr. Russell Deidiker at Farmington.

“The cause of death is pending at this time as I wait for the final autopsy report, and the conclusion of the ongoing investigation into his death,” Moore said.

During the investigation, “we’ve talked to family members and associates, and so far, we haven’t been able to establish anything that tells us that there would be foul play involved,” said Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs. “I’m not saying there isn’t, but we don’t have anything to support that.”

Dobbs said investigators know Bishop “had issues of drug abuse and several witnesses have made indications that he had been recently hallucinating.

“It’s very possible that we’re dealing with something of the accidental nature.”

Authorities, Dobbs said, don’t know for sure where Bishop entered the river, but “we are speculating that he went into the river quite a ways from where he was found.

“With the river being high like it has been, it’s plausible that he drifted a long way.”

When found, Bishop’s body appeared to be in a state of decomposition and had been in the water for several days, maybe even weeks, Dobbs earlier said.

The lower river levels, he said, are what made the discovery of Bishop’s body possible.

Bishop, Dobbs said, had been last heard from on March 16. He reportedly was last seen in the city.

Two days later, Dobbs said, a family member reported him missing to the Poplar Bluff Police Department.

“The mom was the reporting party, and she regularly talks to him,” Dobbs said.

The investigation into Bishop’s death is ongoing as “we continue to follow up on leads,” Dobbs said.