Missing man Robert Westbrook found dead on Loxton flood plain

Locals say a man found dead near Loxton North after going missing in flood waters loved the river and was part of a well-known family.

A Riverland town is devastated after the death of a man from a prominent farming family that “will touch a majority of the community.”

Loxton is in mourning for local man Robert Westbrook, 78, who was found on Tuesday morning in River Murray floodwaters.

A search was sparked on Monday when he did not return from yabbying.

At 8.30am on Tuesday, divers discovered his body in floodplain waters next to an upturned dinghy.

The cause of death is unclear.

“The Westbrooks are a significant family in Loxton and this is a tragic result,” Chaffey MP Tim Whetstone said.

“They’re a prominent farming family. They have considerable farmland outside of Loxton.

Robert Westbrook, pictured with Marlene Westbrook, was found dead on Tuesday. Picture: 7 News

“My heart goes out to the family in this tragic episode.”

The Westbrook family gathered at a Tobruk Tce home on Tuesday afternoon.

Devastated relatives were not ready to comment.

Mr Whetstone said the death would affect the whole township.

“It’s an awful result and it will touch a majority of the Loxton community.”

A friend of Mr Westbrook, Trevor Braun, told 7News that Mr Westbrook’s wife had said he hadn’t returned from fishing for yabbies.

“It (the boat) was probably 5m off the shoreline,” Mr Braun said.

“I went straight out because I thought he might have been trapped under it. I went out with my boots and everything on and turned her up. He wasn’t under it.

“(He) was just a good bloke. I’ll miss the chats we’ve always had.”

Local Helen Drake, 52, said Mr Westbrook was well known in the town.

“He was an active part of the community,” Ms Drake said.

“The Westbrooks are big in this town. He was on the water a lot, whether it was fishing or yabbying.”

Police searched the River Murray around Loxton overnight. Picture: File

Police including the Water Operations Unit and PolAir, alongside SES crews in boats, commenced the search around 1.30pm on Monday and continued into the night.

The search resumed early on Tuesday.

SA Police assistant commissioner Ian Parrott said: “Adjacent to where he was found was an upturned dinghy along with his vehicle parked nearby as well.

“It’s a really tragic set of circumstances.

“We don’t know exactly what’s happened at this particular point in time.”

There are no suspicious circumstances and police will prepare a report for the Coroner.

On Tuesday, there were remnants of crime scene tape tied around a Stobie pole next to a private access road off Casson Ave at Loxton North after the recovery of the Mr Westbrook’s body.

A neighbour next to the access road was alerted to the commotion during the search on Monday.

“There was a chopper constantly hovering in the area,” she said. “We thought it was for the flooding and didn’t know there was a body and the kids went out to have a look.”