Update: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) said in a post that their agents are working alongside the CCSO to “find the person responsible for the death of William “Bill” Hitchcock Jr. after he was found dead outside of his home on Old Stoney Creek Road in Elizabethton on Saturday.”

“Anyone who saw Hitchcock on the evening of Friday, March 31st, or in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 1st, is asked to call the Carter County Sheriff’s Office at 423-542-1896,” the post states.

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) – A homicide investigation is underway after a man was found dead near the Watauga River on Saturday.

According to a release from the Carter County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), 63-year-old William “Bill” Hitchcock Jr. was found dead on Saturday from what investigators say appears to be a gunshot wound.

Hitchcock’s body was discovered by a group of fishermen who spotted someone laying in a driveway. After calling out to the man to see if he needed help, and after getting a closer look, the fishermen called 911, according to Fraley.

The release states that investigators from the CCSO, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the William L. Jenkins Forensic Center at ETSU responded to the area. Hitchcock’s body was transported to the forensic center at the university for an autopsy and a preliminary investigation determined that the cause of death was a gunshot wound.

The CCSO is asking for the public’s help in the investigation, asking anyone who had contact with Hitchcock in the past few days to reach out to the office.

Sheriff Fraley also asks that anyone who may have information relevant to the investigation to contact lead investigator Roger Brown at 423-542-1896.

CCSO says additional information will be released as it becomes available.