Police have identified the body of a man who fell into an abandoned well in North Anson and died Tuesday as that of Wilbert Bailey, 74, who lived on the property on Four Mile Square Road in North Anson.
Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster said Bailey fell 30 to 40 feet into the well sometime Tuesday. It was a dug well, not a drilled well, Lancaster said, referring to older-style water supplies.
He said Bailey was inspecting the well when he fell in. Lancaster said Bailey went into the well head first. The body will be examined by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner to determine the cause of death, Lancaster said just before 9 p.m. Tuesday.
“The call originated as a welfare check. The son wasn’t able to get a hold of his parent,” Lancaster said earlier in the day, describing how the death came to his office’s attention.
Rescue personnel used an excavator to secure the well’s wall Tuesday afternoon during the recovery of the body.
The incident remains under investigation, Lancaster said.
Doug Harlow — 612-2367
Twitter:@Doug_Harlow
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