A witness spotted the man floating East of the Palm and Nees access gate to the river, just after 7 a.m. The Fresno Fire department took the lead in recovering the victim from the water. Detectives and the coroner's office did a preliminary examination at the scene. They say the man appears to be about 40 years old, and they believe he was in the water for at least a few days.
Authorities are trying to identify him and figure out how he died. "I'm told a short distance from where the body was found there is a homeless encampment. Whether he's related to that or not we don't know. Whether there were drugs or alcohol involved we're not sure. Just a lot of unanswered questions at this point," Sgt. Alex Flores with the Fresno Police Department said.
Police say they have not had reports of a missing person in that area. They are hoping an autopsy will reveal more information.
