BURKE CO., N.C. -- A local judge died after an accident in the Catawba River.

The Burke County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to the end of Jamison Drive off Lail Road in the Glen Alpine communites just after 8 p.m. Sunday.

Family members told investigators that 25th District Court Judge John Mull, 59, had been helping his 17-year-old son who was experiencing cramps in the water. Once the teen was on shore, other family members noticed Mull was missing.

They said about two minutes later, Mull was found unresponsive under the water. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Investigators are unsure if Mull drowned or if he suffered a possible medical problem, like a heart attack. An autopsy is scheduled to determine the exact cause of death.

Mull presided over Burke, Catawba and Caldwell counties for more than a decade. A bailiff and several people who stood before him all described him to Eyewitness News as fair.