The 49-year-old Akron man who drowned June 24 at Portage Lakes State Park Beach in New Franklin has been identified as Walter O’Neil Cox, Gary Guenther, chief investigator for the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office, confirmed.
Cox was reportedly swimming with friends at about 2 p.m. when he went under the water and did not resurface, Guenther said in a press release. Emergency personnel responded to the scene and Cox’s body was located a few hours later and brought to shore by members of the South Summit Water Rescue Team Dive Team.
He was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:55 p.m.
The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office as well as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources are investigating Cox’s death.
An autopsy is scheduled for June 25, Guenther reported.
Search continues for man who drowned in Cuyahoga River
Cox’s death occurred just days after a 5-year-old boy and his father capsized in an inflatable in the Cuyahoga River on June 21. Additional rescues were also needed in Kent to save people from fast-moving water.
The body of the boy, Braxton Cross, was recovered the next day, but the search continues for the father as of the morning of June 24, according to the City of Cuyahoga Falls.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 49-year-old man who drowned Tuesday at Portage Lakes State Park identified
Reporting by Anthony Thompson, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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