Wake County authorities are investigating the death of a man at the Neuse River in Raleigh, they said Monday afternoon.
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Deputies responded just before 1 p.m. Monday to a report of a person found in the water near the Neuse River Greenway Trail and Loch Raven Parkway, according to the Wake County Sheriff’s Office.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene, they said. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will work to determine the cause of death.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office declined to comment earlier Monday afternoon on whether the victim has been identified or the circumstances of his death.
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Raleigh resident Kevin Ortega told ABC11 — The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner — that he found the body while he was cleaning up trash in the area Monday.
“I was shaking at first,” Kevin Ortega told ABC11. “I never seen it before. I come to this river a lot, and I hear the stories of drowning. But seeing it right in front of you, it’s crazy.”
Ortega said he immediately called 911 and alerted authorities.
It’s the second death to be reported at the Neuse River in less than a month. In July, a 12-year-old girl was pulled from the water after she failed to resurface while swimming. She later died from her injuries at a local hospital.
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This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.
This story was originally published August 3, 2026 at 2:30 PM.