Avon and Somerset Police have launched an appeal after the body of a 22-year-old man was recovered from a rhyne near Street last week. A member of the public called police at about 1.45pm on Monday, March 3, to report they had found a man’s body in water close to Sharpham Drove.
The man has been formally identified as Jack Ayres. A post-mortem revealed he died from drowning and the examination found no sign of any physical injuries.
Police have spoken with Jack’s family to understand his movements in the hours leading up to his death. He was known to have been walking at about 2.30am on Monday, March 3, along Sharpham Drove. Jack, described as about 6ft tall, with light brown hair and blue eyes, was wearing dark clothing when last seen.
Jack’s family said: “Nothing can put into words how we are all feeling right now. Jack was a much-loved son, grandson, brother, cousin, nephew and boyfriend. We know that nothing will bring Jack back, but we just want to try and understand the lead up to his passing.”
Detective Chief Inspector Clement Goodwin said: “Our thoughts are first and foremost with Jack’s devastated family. We want to do all we can to provide them with as many answers as possible about what happened to their son in the moments leading up to his death, and to do that we have been to nearby properties to seek any relevant CCTV footage.
“The lack of any physical injuries would suggest the circumstances of his death are most likely to be non-suspicious, but we are treating it as unexplained while further enquiries are carried out on behalf of the coroner.
“We would ask any motorists who were travelling in that area during the early hours of Monday, March 3 to please check any dashcam footage and come forward if they have something that can assist our enquiries. Any information would be gratefully received as it may be able to help us provide Jack’s family with greater clarity around what happened.”
If you can help, please call 101 and give the call handler the reference number 5225055350, or complete our online appeals form.