The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has confirmed the body found Sunday in Lake Gibson is that of Cornelius R. Wiggins of Plant City.
Wiggins went missing on Saturday after jumping into the lake to retrieve a pair of sunglasses.
- FWC confirms body found in Lake Gibson was Cornelius Wiggins
- Wiggins jumped into lake to retrieve sunglasses, says investigators
- Friends say Wiggins boated often
Investigators said they received a call for help around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. They were told Wiggins had jumped into the lake to retrieve his sunglasses and never came back up.
An investigation is ongoing.
His sister, Aerial Coleman, shared a snapchat video of Wiggins that was shot around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, just before Wiggins jumped in. It shows Wiggins taking a selfie while the boat was moving, taking off his shades while he was talking.
Coleman said he was with longtime family friend Julie Bryant, who was driving the boat.
Coleman learned of the incident Saturday night.
“The guy that called me was very upset. He said that ‘Corn’--they call him Corn--has been in a boating accident.”
Investigators said Bryant threw a floatable device into the water, but Wiggins never came back out of the water to retrieve it.
Florida Fish and Wildlife was joined by several law enforcement agencies including Lakeland Police and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, in their search for Wiggins.
One of Wiggins’ friends said Wiggins had taken a boating safety class the week before.
Coleman said the entire situation was shocking because her brother was a state champion wrestler back in the day and even did some MMA fighting.
“He was a strong person. He was a good swimmer. His really close friends said they do this very often,” said Coleman.
She said Wiggins’ friends told her he always wore a life jacket too.
“I couldn’t believe it. Like I think I’m still shock. I haven’t slept since,” she said.
Wiggins’ family stayed by the water’s edge throughout Sunday, hoping for some answers.