He was later identified as 73-year-old Kenneth Holden.
Deputies responded around 3:15 p.m. to a request for a welfare check in the 7000 block of Hodge Road, a Wendell address in Wake County.
Patrol Lt. David Bradford of the Wake County Sheriff's Office told ABC11 that Holden had gone fishing on the water at the time.
The Hopkins Fire Department, Knightdale Fire Department, Wendell Fire Department, and Wake New Hope Fire Department assisted deputies in searching a pond in the backyard of a home.
After about two hours, first responders found and recovered the body from the pond. His family was present as the search unfolded.
The incident remains under investigation.
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