Body of Missing Fisherman Found

A 32 hour search effort ends with crews recovering the body of 60-year-old Anthony Palode, a fisherman who fell in the Pass Christian Harbor early Tuesday morning.
News 25’s Laurene Callander was on the scene and has the details.
Connie Payne Lampley is Anthony Palode’s cousin. She said, “I keep thinking that we’re just going to look around and see Anthony. That all of this was just a bad dream.”
A bad dream that is now a reality after crews recovered the body of 60-year-old Anthony Palode after a 32 hour search. Witnesses saw Palode fall in to the Pass Christian Harbor around 2:30 Tuesday morning. Just before 10 a.m. on Wednesday, his family walked away with what Palode last held before the tragedy, his fishing reel and bucket. “You have to kind of prepare yourself for the worst and I think having your family here with you and stuff like that kind of helps,” said Lampley.
The body was found in the same general area where allegedly two witnesses saw him fall in, but officials say the current could have made him drift throughout the search. Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove said, “A number of agencies, including the Coast Guard, were out searching for him. They continued until yesterday evening. It was suspended then picked back up this morning and then they were able to locate him.”
Hargrove tells News 25 it appears to be an accidental drowning. As standard procedure, a toxicology screening will be performed.
Although their worst fears have been confirmed, there is at least some comfort knowing their loved one’s body has been recovered and returned home. “It’s been a tough road so far for us, but I hope that today we can get some closure,” said Lampley.