Officials in Texas believe they have recovered the body of an Oklahoma father who’s been missing since Friday.
The body, believed to belong to 28-year-old Ridge Cole of Oklahoma, waspulled from Brays Bayouon Tuesday, according to Texas EquuSearch.
The search-and-rescue organization said Cole was last seen Friday evening near the 1900 block of Holcombe Boulevard in Houston, located near the bayou.
The body has not been identified as of Wednesday afternoon, but according to KTRK, investigators said it matched the description of the missing man.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Texas EquuSearch
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EquuSearch founder Tim Miller said Cole was on a walk along Brays Bayou on Friday evening when he entered the water, according to KTRK.
Cole and his family were staying with the Ronald McDonald House Charities while in town for his son’s surgery, according to the local news stations.
EquuSearch search coordinator Mark Edwards said the victim “somehow slipped into the bayou,” which has “a terrible vertical ledge,” KTRK reported.
“We found personal effects on the bank where he had been sitting, and it really pointed to that he had entered the water,” Edwards added.
The volunteer team found the body Tuesday about 3.5 miles from where they believe Cole slipped into the water, according to KTRK.
Officials believe this death was an accident, and that foul play was not involved, according to KHOU’s report.
Edwards said the search for Cole was “emotional” for both the family and rescuers.
source: people.com
