Alexandria Man, 20, Found Dead In Maryland River

ST. MARY'S COUNTY, MD — Police in Maryland are investigating the death of a 20-year-old Alexandria man whose body was found Sunday in the Patuxent River, according to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office. Manuel DeJesus Portillo Romero was reported missing on Saturday during his family's visit to Myrtle Point Park, on the Patuxent in California, Md.

As family members were preparing to leave the park (see map below), they found that Romero had disappeared, the sheriff's office said. He was last seen swimming in the river, according to a media report.

An extensive water and land search for Romero was conducted on Saturday and Sunday, the sheriff's office said.

The search involved rescue units from St. Mary's, Charles and Calvert counties, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police, WRC-TV Channel 4 reported.

At about 4:10 p.m. Sunday, St. Mary's sheriff's deputies recovered Romero's body from the river off the 24000 block of Half Pone Point Road in Hollywood, Md.

"At this time. no foul play is suspected," the sheriff's office said in a statement. Romero's body was taken to the state medical examiner's office in Baltimore for an autopsy.

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