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NATCHEZ — Ezekiel Conner, who just two weeks ago danced among friends at the Brightest Stars Ball at the Vidalia Convention Center, was found deceased in a ravine on Monday morning about a quarter mile from his residence.

Adams County Coroner James Lee confirmed that the body of Conner, 41, had been recovered from a ravine on Laurel Hill Drive on Monday afternoon.

“At this point, I’m uncertain how he got there, but it doesn’t appear to be any foul play,” Lee said. “There were some indicators that he had (fallen). He had a few scratches on him that didn’t look to be severe. It is possible he was a victim of a past medical issue.”

Lee said he is waiting on a full medical report and the State Crime Lab to determine if Conner had other injuries.

Tammy Davis, who had been a support worker for Conner for about five years, said he was a “fun-loving” person who remembered everyone. “If he knew you from church or from school, he was going to let that be known,” she said.

Affectionately called “Zek,” Connor enjoyed animals, watching football and baseball and going to parties, she said. Davis said he attended the Brightest Stars ball for the past three years and loved to dance.

Conner had been missing since approximately 5:30 a.m. on Sunday from the Hurricane Road area in Natchez.

He’d reportedly run out of his home while his caretaker at the time was cooking breakfast.

Friends and family members shared a missing-person report online, stating he was a vulnerable adult and needed medication.

When she learned of his disappearance, Davis said she couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. “He had not had his medication and didn’t even have shoes on,” she said.

She called former detective Walter Mackel, who used a K-9 to track Zek’s scent and help put together a search party.

A member of that search party had found him Monday morning in a ravine about 10 to 12 feet deep, which Zek apparently had fallen into and couldn’t get out of, she said.

“My condolences go out to his family,” added Lee. “It’s a tragedy.”