CORINTH – Corinth Police Chief David Lancaster said they are investigating the death of a man who allegedly ran his truck into a yard and then jumped in the homeowner’s lake. Lancaster said 35-year old Kevin Wilbanks was pronounced dead at the scene after rescue workers pulled his body from the lake.
Lancaster said on June 28, around 12:43 a.m., police received a call from a homeowner in Tippah County that a truck had “run off in their yard.”
“I don’t know if the family was sleeping or what,” Lancaster said. “But they heard this commotion and they looked out and saw this older model Chevy pick up with the lights still on and door open on their lawn and there was a man lying on the ground about 10 to 15 feet in front of the vehicle.”
Lancaster said when an officer arrived at the scene, Wilbanks got up and started walking toward the lake.
“This was a nice home with a big lake out front,” Lancaster said. “And when the officer told [Wilbanks] to stop, he took off running. The officer tried to stop him, but he jumped in before he could.”
Lancaster said the officer took off his gun belt and called for backup before looking for Wilbanks in the lake.
“First responders, the fire department and EMS arrived and they went in the water to try to rescue Wilbanks, but they were unsuccessful,” said Lancaster. “It wasn’t until another fireman got in and they searched for him until they found him.”
Lancaster said an autopsy has been performed on Wilbanks, but he has not received the results. He also said a tox screen was also ordered to determine if Wilbanks was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Lancaster also said he notified the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations (MBI) before he went to the scene and asked them to conduct the investigation. The Corinth Police Department has turned their findings over to the MBI and they have cooperated fully with their investigation.
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