Young Lawrenceburg Man Dies In Boating Accident

COFFEE COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — A 21-year-old Lawrenceburg man was found dead Friday after his boat was discovered drifting on Normandy Lake.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said officers responded around 11:30 a.m. April 10 after an unoccupied boat was spotted on the lake. Around 1:10 p.m., a family member called 911 to report Ashton M. Matney overdue.

Officials said Matney had gone out early that morning to scout turkey hunting spots by boat. Around 7 a.m., he told his fiancé he was heading back to Barton Springs Boat Ramp, but he never arrived.

Crews later confirmed the drifting boat belonged to Matney and used location data and sonar to search the area. He was found in about 10 feet of water, and dive teams recovered his body around 7:58 p.m.

Authorities believe Matney’s boat hit a submerged tree, throwing him into the water. He was not wearing a life jacket.

TWRA, the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, Coffee County Rescue and Warren County Rescue responded.

This is the fifth boating-related death on Tennessee waterways this year and the second on Normandy Lake in 2026. The incident remains under investigation.