Missing Fisherman’s Body Found on Lake Palestine

SMITH COUNTY – East Texas game wardens have found the body of a missing boater who disappeared on Lake Palestine. On Wednesday, in the Noonday area of the lake, a 77-year-old man who was fishing from his boat went missing near The Villages Resort. Family members first alerted authorities that A. Reed Franklin had not returned from a fishing trip. Smith County officials tell KETK the man left to go fishing around 7:00 p.m., and about an hour later, his boat was found empty. At around 11 a.m. on Thursday, a search team found Franklin’s body north of the Villages marina. Officials say he died from drowning. Game Warden Quint Balkcom said Franklin was from the Smith County area.