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Richmond drowning victim wanted in New York meth lab explosion

Posted at 11:27 AM, Mar 31, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-31 11:27:49-04

RICHMOND, Va. -- A woman died and a man was hospitalized Tuesday after an incident on the James River in Richmond on Tuesday. Police later identified the woman as a wanted suspect in a February meth lab explosion in New York.

According to WTVR, fire crews were called to the river near the Manchester Bridge around 10:30 a.m. after construction workers spotted a body and called 911.

Richmond Police spokesman Gene Lepley told WTVR the pair were swept over a low head dam -- basically a giant curve.

"Just North of the Manchester, there's a low head dam with a hydraulic below it. And people call that a drowning machine," Lepley said.

He said the pair was swept up in the rushing waters.

Officials pulled the woman's body from the river around 11 a.m.  She has been identified as 36-year-old Amy Sue Briscoe.

Authorities found the male victim just upstream suffering from hypothermia. He was taken to an area hospital where he was treated and released.

Police later said they believed he had a fake ID, according to WTVR.

WTVR reports Briscoe was wanted in connection with a February meth lab explosion in Stueben County, New York. Also on the run from that apartment explosion is 27-year-old Harold Warner, who had been in a relationship with Briscoe since November, according to her Facebook page.