Tribune staff reports

Police are investigating the death of a woman in Vernon after her body was found in a lake Saturday.

The victim was identified as Jama D. Brown, 49, of North Vernon, police said.

Officers with the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department responded to the area of the 1900 block of East County Road 100 South, just south of Vernon, at 4 p.m. after a caller reported spotting the body in a nearby lake.

Indiana State Police detectives were requested to respond to the scene to assist with the investigation. Conservation officers with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources also responded and provided K-9 units and other resources, according to a news release from Indiana State Police Sgt. Stephen Wheeles.

At this point, officials said Brown’s death appears to be “suspicious.”

An autopsy was scheduled for this morning, Wheeles said.

“Right now, they are waiting on the cause of death, which will help determine whether it is a homicide investigation or something else like an accidental drowning,” he said Sunday afternoon.

The Jennings County Prosecutor’s Office also is involved in the case, the news release stated.

The investigation is ongoing, police said, and anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Jim Blevins with the Jennings County Sheriff’s Department at 812-346-5111 or Detective Brent Miller with the Indiana State Police, Versailles Post, at 812-689-5000.