PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood identified the man found in the Illinois River Monday.
According to the autopsy, 64-year-old James Byrd died from drowning with no apparent trauma to his body.
Peoria police responded to the riverfront at 2:43 p.m., and located a body partially submerged in the water. The Peoria Fire Department retrieved the body from the water, and Byrd was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:36 p.m.
Jamie stated that Byrd had been reported missing, and given the water’s temperature, he was likely in the water for less than 24 hours.
It is unknown at this time how he ended up in the river. The matter of his death is undetermined at this time, and this incident remains under investigation.
