A Rome man visiting an Alabama state park on Memorial Day drowned after jumping from a cliff, authorities said.
The body of Joseph Nicholas Cantrell, 40, was pulled from the water beneath a 100-foot waterfall at DeSoto State Park near Fort Payne, according to AL.com. Witnesses told rescue teams that Cantrell jumped from the falls around 11:30 a.m. Monday and did not resurface.
Alabama park rangers and local authorities helped in the recovery effort. The incident is believed to be an accident, the news site reported.
According to park officials, there are guard rails surrounding the falls with signs every few feet warning people not to cross the rail. Officials do not believe alcohol was a factor in Cantrell's death, the first at the DeSoto falls in three years, local ABC affiliate WAAY reported.
Cantrell, who has a teenage daughter, worked in the family construction business and was an avid outdoorsman, according to his online obituary.
His death is one of multiple Memorial Day weekend drownings involving local victims. In Georgia, five people drowned in lakes over the long weekend, and at least two others drowned in metro Atlanta pools.
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