UPDATE:
The Allen County Coroner has identified a man found dead in the river close to Promenade Park.
Right now, we know that 45-year-old Charles White drowned but we do not know how the manner of his death.
His death remains under investigation by the Fort Wayne Fire Department, Fort Wayne Police Department, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and the Allen County Coroner’s Office
The Allen County Coroner’s Office released the following:
The autopsy has been completed, and notification has been made to the next of kin of the deceased individual that was found in the Saint Mary’s River, 200 west Superior Street, in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana, at about 10:22 hours, Sunday, May 1, 2022. He has been identified as Charles Edward White a male, black, age 45, of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
A bystander observed a body floating in the river and summoned emergency personnel. Fort Wayne Fire Department Water Rescue located the body at Promenade Park. Charles Edward White was removed from the river and death was pronounced by Three Rivers Ambulance Authority
Charles Edward White’s Cause of Death is Asphyxia Due to Drowning, and the Manner of Death is Pending
ORIGINAL STORY:
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – There are questions to be answered about a dead body found in the river close to a Fort Wayne park.
Officers found a man’s body yesterday morning in the Saint Marys River in Promenade Park.
Fort Wayne police are not saying if it was an accidental drowning or if they suspect foul play.
Investigators are waiting for the autopsy report to see how the man died.
The Fort Wayne Police Department released the following:
The Fort Wayne Police Department responded to a water-rescue call for service reported by a citizen that saw a body in the St Marys River by Promenade Park. The Fire Department recovered the body of an adult male, who was deceased. At this time, it is unknown what happened and how the body ended up in the river. The Department of Natural Resources has jurisdiction over all water ways and will lead the investigation, assisted by the Fort Wayne Police Department.
FWPD Crime Scene, Air Support Unit, Detective Bureau, Uniformed Officers all made the scene to help document and preserve any potential evidence. The Coroner will release the identity of the deceased, pending next of kin notification; along with the cause and manner of death.
This incident remains under investigation by DNR, the Prosecutor’s Office, and the Coroner’s Office.
