Yalobusha County Sheriff Lance Humphreys reported the body of a missing man was recovered Tuesday afternoon by divers at 4:55 p.m. The recovery was made on the fourth day of intense search that started late Saturday afternoon after he was reported missing.

Humphreys said the body was in 44 feet of water and was picked up by a sonar at the location where he was last seen. Forty-two year old Ismael Alvarez was swimming with friends Saturday afternoon near the levee when he went under.

“We had made dozens and dozens of passes over and around the area during the four day search,” Hunphreys said, adding that the body likely shifted enough to make it visible on the sonar.

“We are very thankful to have closure for the family,” the Sheriff reported.

The search included multiple boats equipped with sonar, divers, a cadaver dog and a helicopter. The sheriff stressed the hard work and long hours from officials from multiple agencies were vital to the search.

“Yalobusha EMA and sheriff’s department would like to extend our gratitude to everybody that assisted, the Panola County EMA, Panola County Search and Rescue, Tallahatchie County EMA, Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer, along with the Yalobusha Search and Rescue Team,” Humphreys said, as well as a helicopter from the Desoto County Sheriff’s Department.

“A lot of the guys that have been out here working long hours are volunteers, both firemen and members of the search and rescue and dive teams from Yalobusha, Panola and Tallahatchie counties. These guys are missing work at their regular jobs and I cannot stress how critical they are in an operation like this,” the sheriff added.

He also said Larson’s Cash Saver provided lunch and drinks for the searchers and local churches fed the family of Alvarez as they waited on the bank during the search.

Yalobusha County Coroner Ronnie Stark told the Herald the body has been sent to Jackson for an autopsy Tuesday, a routine procedure in this type of incident.

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