Body Found in Lawrence Lake Isn't the First for Amarillo

As the rain continues across the Texas Panhandle, our area has seen more rain than it has in almost a decade.

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UPDATE: The body of the male found in Lawrence Lake on Monday, June 5th has been identified. The deceased was identified as Christopher Larry Curtis, a 44-year-old male. The cause of death is still unknown pending toxicology results.

However, with a ton of rain our local lakes and playa are overflowing, which is certainly not something that happens often. With such unprecedented events, it is no surprise that the Amarillo Police Department released a statement on Monday, June 5th about finding a body in Lawrence Lake.

APD received a call at 9:03 am, and the Amarillo Police Dive team was able to locate the body of a deceased male. The body was recovered. Police stated that it is a male of an unknown age. They were also uncertain as to how long the deceased was in the water. The dive team will continue to periodically trawl the lake. No other information was released at this time.

However, the question remains, is this a new body, or is it something that has floated up from the bottom of Lawrence Lake? I guess we will have to wait and see until they are able to release the identity of the man found.

However, this isn't the first time a body was found in Lawrence Lake.

January 20, 2005

Amarillo Police Department found the body of Kelly Katherine Wagner, a 28-year-old woman, in Lawrence Lake. Wagner has been missing since December 27, 2004. Her car was located in an apartment complex 300 yards from the lake on January 2, 2005. It was a blue 2000 Land Rover Discovery with the passenger-Side window smashed in.

August 14, 2009

Zachary Garza, 14 years old, drowned in Lawrence Lake. Police were able to recover his body after a 3-hour search.

October 2012

Although a body wasn't found, Amarillo Police divers found evidence in Lawrence Lake in the murder case of Dr. Joseph Sonnier III. A container was found in the water. The former Dr. Micheal Dixon and David Shepard were later convicted of his murder.

If Lawrence Lake could talk it would have a million stories to tell.

The Missing 18 People From the Texas Panhandle

These are the 18 people from the Amarillo area who have gone missing and have not yet been found. The cases are listed from most recent to oldest. Please take a look and see if you recognize any faces. Any information is helpful for investigators and the families missing them.

If you know anything about the following missing people, please call Amarillo Police Department at (806) 378-3038 You may make an anonymous tip.

Information gathered from the Amarillo Police Department, Charley Project, TXDPS, and NAMUS.

Wild, Weird, & Outright Odd Crimes of the Texas Panhandle in 2022

There's some strange things that happen here in the Texas Panhandle. And we do mean strange.

If you need a few examples....keep scrollin' to see some of the wild, weird, and flat out odd things that our local hellions have gotten themselves into this year....so far.