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Deputies say alcohol may have been factor in man’s drowning in Isle of Wight Co.

Posted at 1:40 PM, Jun 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-04 22:21:17-04

ISLE OF WIGHT, Co., Va.  – A man died after drowning while at Fort Boykins on June 2, according to deputies.

The Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office completed its investigation into the drowning that happened late Friday night.

Emergency communications got a call about a dispute and verbal altercation at Fort Boykins, an Isle of Wight County Park.

A Sheriff’s deputy was dispatched and when the area was checked, no disturbance was found.

Around 8 p.m. a second call was received that a man had entered the water and the other individuals with him could not find the man.

The area and the James River were searched by multiple organizations.

Around 10 p.m. the body 36-year-old Jeffery Ayer of Smithfield was recovered from the James River, deputies said.

Ayer’s body was sent to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Norfolk.

The preliminary investigation revealed that alcohol may have played a factor in the incident, according to deputies.

Pending the final outcome from the Medical Examiner’s Office, officials said it is believed that the incident was an accidental drowning.