Fisherman Finds ‘Murder Weapon’ Haul of Guns, Knives and Jewelry in Lake

A man found a bag filled with guns, knives and jewelry while out fishing on a lake, admitting he thought he’d found a haul of murder weapons.

J.P. Robinette was out on Fort Loudoun Lake, Louisville, Tennessee, with his dad, Joe Robinette, when they came across the “buried treasure.”

J.P. 22, who made the incredible find on Monday, explained to Newsweek the water level of the lake is exceptionally low at this time of year.

He said: “My dad’s line snagged on something in the water so he stepped out onto a protruding rock, maybe six feet off the shore, to try and free his lure.

“While standing on this rock in the water, he noticed a backpack submerged to his left, only about three feet deep or so this time of year.

“We assumed it was a tackle bag someone lost from their boat. It was covered in lures where other fisherman had snagged it.”

They grabbed a tree branch and fished the “sporty and modern” bag out the water, but they weren’t prepared for what was inside.

J.P., who said he and his dad, 51, are keen “fishing hobbyists,” continued: “The zippers were rusted shut so we cut open the main pocket with a knife. That’s when we saw two revolver butts sticking out. I thought we had just found a murder weapon.

“It was very exciting. We figured they were probably involved in some kind of crime so we called the Blount County Sheriff’s Dept. and let them know we found a sunken bag of firearms.”

An officer was called to the scene and they went through the contents of the bag, as J.P. noted “it was very heavy.”

He listed the haul, saying: “There ended up being 4-5 antique revolvers, and 8-10 knives of differing types.

“There were also several stones in the bag, seemingly to weigh it down. Then, the officer cut open the smaller pocket in the backpack and found a plastic trash bag full of jewelry, watches, collectible spoons, etc.

“I felt like we had just found buried treasure! It was fun to discover.”

J.P. claimed there was also a ring in the bag, which officers from The Blount Co. Sheriff’s Dept. have now shared on their Facebook page, in a bid to track down the owner.

“I believe they have a Walland Middle School class ring on their Facebook page to see if anyone can identify it,” he said.

The cops posted a photo of a striking purple ring to the social media site on Tuesday, saying: “We are looking for the owner of this class ring that was turned over to the Sheriff’s Office Monday by a citizen who recovered it in one of our waterways.

“This ring, which appears to be a man’s ring, is from the former Walland Middle School. Please share this post so we can find the owner of this piece of memorabilia!”

J.P. shared a photo of the incredible find to Reddit on Monday, where it’s already amassed more than 90,000 upvotes.

He told Newsweek: “I did not get a great look at the jewelry, but a lot of Redditors seemed to think the watch you can see in the photo is a Rolex.”

J.P. claimed it was a rare find, as he added: “I have heard stories here and there of fisherman discovering crime scenes and such in the lake, but I had not until Monday.

“I’d say it’s relatively rare in the fishing community because it becomes local legend every time something like it happens!

“My dad likes to “treasure hunt” for lost lures, and I have friends who hunt arrow heads and such on our lakebeds, but I’m usually just trying to catch a fish before it’s time to leave.”

Newsweek reached out to Blount Co. Sheriff’s Dept. for comment.