On Monday, May 29, 2023, at approximately 2:43 p.m., officers from the Peoria Police Department were called to the Riverfront, near 300 S.W. Water St., regarding a body found in the water. Upon arrival, officers located a partially submerged body.
Members of the Peoria Fire Department Marine 1 launched their boat and recovered the body of an adult male from the water. The male, 64-year-old James Byrd, of Peoria, was unfortunately pronounced deceased on scene at 3:36 pm by the Peoria County Coroner.
The autopsy on Byrd demonstrates that he died from drowning and had no apparent trauma to his body. Toxicology testing is pending. It is unknown at this time how and why he was in the water; this case remains under investigation by members of the Peoria Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division (CID). The manner of death is undetermined at this time, pending further investigation.