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Body found in Arkansas River in southern Colorado

Posted at 2:01 PM, Jul 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-29 16:01:26-04

PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) — Investigators are trying to determine if a body found in the Arkansas River in southern Colorado is that of a man who went missing after a rafting accident June 28.

Sgt. Megan Richards with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office says the body was found east of Florence on Friday, and an autopsy is scheduled. She says investigators aren’t sure if the body is that of 31-year-old Eric Ashby, of Colorado Springs.

The Pueblo Chieftain reports a photographer saw a man drown in the Royal Gorge section of the river, but a search did not turn up any signs of the victim. It wasn’t until 10 days later that one of Ashby’s friends reported the accident.

Sheriff Jim Beicker says four of Ashby’s friends who were in the raft were afraid to come forward.