NEW BERLIN – The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office confirmed today that a heart attack is to blame for the death of an elderly man whose body was discovered in Chenango Lake Sunday afternoon.

At approximately 4:40 p.m., the county’s 911 center received a report of a possible drowning at the lake and – upon arrival – sheriff’s deputies discovered the body along the east shore, later identified as 78-year-old William Knowles of Sidney. Knowles’ boat, according to authorities, was found approximately 100 yards north of him, and an autopsy performed Monday determined the cause of death as a heart attack. It’s believed Knowles fell out of his boat following the heart attack before drifting to the shoreline.