Timothy Odie King Stiff Jr. dies in fatal Evansville police pursuit drowning

Timothy Odie King Stiff Jr. dies in fatal Evansville police pursuit drowning

Fatal Evansville police pursuit drowning death of Timothy Odie King Stiff Jr. – Obituary

Authorities have identified the man who drowned in the Ohio River near Evansville, Indiana, as 31-year-old Timothy Odie King Stiff Jr. The incident occurred early Saturday morning after Stiff fled from police officers responding to a report of a stolen SUV.

Police said the situation unfolded near Marina Pointe, a well-known nightlife venue along the riverfront. Stiff, suspected of taking an SUV from a bar patron, ran toward a wooded area and accidentally fell into the nearby marina, which has deep waters due to recent dredging.

Emergency teams from the Evansville Fire Department conducted a prolonged search and eventually recovered Stiff’s body several hours later. The coroner in Henderson County, Kentucky, officially ruled the death as an accidental drowning, although toxicology test results are still pending.

According to the police, the sequence of events began when an off-duty officer was informed of the SUV theft. When uniformed officers arrived around 3 a.m., the suspect, later identified as Stiff, returned to the area. As they approached him, he took off and stumbled down an embankment into the river. Officers reported seeing him struggle to stay afloat before he disappeared under the surface. One officer entered the water in an attempt to help, but rescue efforts were hindered by darkness and challenging water conditions.

The SUV reported stolen was later found by city police.

Henderson County Coroner Shelia Patterson stated her office would not delve into the police actions during the pursuit, emphasizing that the drowning occurred while Stiff was fleeing and that it was a witnessed accident. She confirmed that no autopsy was conducted.

Police have not confirmed whether body camera footage of the incident will be made public. The case remains under investigation by the Evansville Police Department in collaboration with authorities in Henderson County.