The Bartholomew County Coroner’s Office says that accidental

drowning is the cause of 33-year-old Jacquelyn Watts’ death. Her body was found Saturday on a sandbar in the Flatrock River. Police believe that Watts was trying to catch a lost dog on Friday when she disappeared.

Watts had been reported missing to the Columbus Police Department on Friday, around the same time her vehicle was found abandoned with the engine running and flashers activated on Riverside Drive. Watts’ body was found Saturday morning during a search of the area that began shortly after she was reported missing.

Coroner Clayton Nolting ordered an autopsy, which was performed by a forensic pathologist Monday afternoon at Columbus Regional Health. The investigation by the coroner’s office and Columbus Police Department, along with the autopsy results, led Nolting to rule the death an accidental drowning, pending toxicology results.

Investigators believe Watts was attempting to rescue a dog that had previously been reported missing when she entered the river and drowned. The dog was older and had vision impairment. Police say its body was on the river bank Sunday morning, south of the sandbar where Watts’ body was found.