ELLISVILLE, Mo. (KMOX) - The body of a man believed to be the one who jumped into the Meramec River near the St. Louis area and never resurfaced has been found. His death is the latest in the area of what one first responder called a "frequent" number of incidents this year.
The Missouri Highway Patrol said the body was discovered at some point overnight near Kiefer Creek and St. Paul Roads in Ellisville, Fox 2 reports.
Authorities had been searching for a man who jumped off a railroad trestle near Sherman Beach Park yesterday. Numerous boats and two sets of divers were deployed. Crews also used sonar equipment during the search.
It's the second drowning that happened in the St. Louis area on Tuesday. A Cadet, Mo. woman drowned that afternoon while swimming in the Big River at Washington State Park.
Monica Boyer, 67, was wading into the water at the boat access, when it became too deep she slipped and fell below the surface. She did not re-surface.
First responders say it's already been a busy season for water rescues.
“Seems to be very frequent already this year," Metro West Fire Protection District Chief Mike Krause told Fox 2. "Lots of people are traveling to different waterways and trying to get out of the heat and enjoy the summer, and we just can’t stress enough that you really need to have a personal flotation device on if you’re going to be in moving water or any kind of water outside of a pool."
Other drownings that have happened this year, many have been teenagers. A 15-year-old boy from Collinsville, Ill. died in the Meramec River earlier this month, he was the third drowning of the month after a 17-year-old drowned in the Meramec and 11-year-old drowned in the Big River in May.
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