A 24-year-old New Mexico man reportedly celebrating the receipt of an inheritance drowned in the Russian River on Tuesday afternoon.
Divers found the man?s body just before 7 p.m. near a small bend in the river on the eastern side of Rio Nido, said Sonoma County Sheriff?s Sgt. Michael Raasch.
The man?s name was not released, pending the notification of relatives.
?He was supposed to be a good swimmer, but was drinking a lot of beer and hard liquor before going for a swim,? Raasch said.
Deputies received a 911 call just after 4:30 p.m. from a River Road home along the river. A woman at the home described seeing the young man calling for help near the shore before disappearing, Raasch said.
The section of river where the man disappeared was 12 to 20 feet deep with a weak current and extremely low visibility, Raasch said.
Deputies initially kayaked around the scene and a CHP helicopter searched from above, but the man was not found until divers entered the river.
A friend of the man said he occasionally worked as a chef, and was partying Tuesday because he had received an inheritance.
Raasch said the two men had been drinking heavily before going for a swim, and both were likely drunk when they went into the water.
You can reach Staff Writer Laura Norton at 521-5220 or laura.norton@pressdemocrat.com.
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