BOGOTA, Colombia 

The surprising death of Paraguayan Senator Zulma Gomez, 61, has shaken the political scene in the country.

On Monday, the nation's Congress declared three days of mourning hours after authorities found Gomez’s lifeless body in Lake Acaray to the east of the country.

On Sunday, the lawmaker’s husband, Hector Damian Leguizamon, reported that Gomez went missing near the lake after taking part in a political event with young people hours earlier.

Police found a pair of sneakers and a mattress near a pier. The body of the representative of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party was found about 20 meters (66 feet) from a dock located on her property.

According to local media, the senator used to walk by the lake and sometimes slept on a mattress on the shore.

"She swallowed a lot of water. She tried to breathe. She has signs of agony, and there is no doubt about anything," said forensic doctor Pablo Lemir in a statement to the media.

The possible cause of death is pulmonary edema due to mechanical asphyxia from drowning, Lemir said.

“The context and the orientation (of the wounds) make us think that we are talking about someone who slipped on a solid, somewhat sharp surface and ended up with a blow to the head," he added.

The prosecutor's office created a working team to continue with the investigation.

Several political leaders have mourned the political leader's death.

Gómez was a congresswoman between 2003 and 2008, the year in which she became a member of the Senate.