NATCHEZ — Authorities are investigating the apparent overnight drowning of a man in a High Street pool.

Officials said the homeowner did not know the victim, who Adams County Coroner James Lee identified as Cedric Knight, 27, of Tubman Circle in Natchez.

Knight was discovered Thursday morning when the homeowner went outside to clean the pool, Natchez Police Department Detective Jerry Ford said. Police responded to the scene at 6:08 a.m.

Ford said officials suspect Knight jumped a fence adjacent to the pool and landed in the water, which is very close the fence line. The pool is approximately 7 feet deep.

“Right now we are still trying to determine what happened, how he ended up getting over the fence and what was his reason for going in that backyard,” Ford said. “As of right now, we don’t have any witnesses that can confirm seeing him. We are going around to see if anyone would know why he would be going to that particular property and what was the reason for it.”

At this point, the matter is being treated as an accidental drowning, Ford said.

“The only thing we can do at this point is wait on the autopsy to come back telling us the manner of death and see if there were any other circumstances, he said.

Lee said toxicology tests have been ordered to determine if alcohol or drug impairment may have played a role in the death, and the coroner’s office is awaiting official autopsy results before officially declaring the case to be a drowning, Lee said.

The matter remains under investigation.