Polygraph test scheduled for man held in drowning

Published 11:35 am Wednesday, July 11, 2012

A polygraph test was scheduled to be administered to a Richland man held for questioning in the drowning death of a woman at Lake Chotard, Issaquena County Sheriff Richard Jones said today.

The 50-year-old, who has not been identified, had not been charged, said Jones, but had been held at the Issaquena County Jail in Mayersville since early Sunday morning after the body of Colleen Parkman, 52, also of Richland, was found in Lake Chotard.

“We are running out of time,” the sheriff said this morning. By state law, individuals may be held for up to 72 hours without being charged.

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An investigator with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, which is assisting in the case, was scheduled to administer the polygraph test today, said Jones. Polygraph test results are not admissible in courts in Mississippi.

Parkman’s body was found floating in Lake Chotard about 1:20 a.m. Sunday. She reportedly was fully clothed, in jeans and a blouse, and had on one tennis shoe.

Autopsy results showed Parkman drowned, but Issaquena County Coroner Angela Williams has not released an official cause of death. Williams said this morning that she is awaiting toxicology reports from the Mississippi State Crime Lab and the results of Jones’ investigation.

Officials have said no obvious signs of assault or injury were seen on the body.

Parkman is believed to have arrived at Chotard Saturday morning, and was staying in a cabin with a party of friends that included the man being questioned.

Jones said Tuesday that the group had been at Chotard Tavern Saturday night. Her body was discovered by competitors in a fishing contest.