A 48-year-old man appears to have drowned in the Animas River late last month near the 32nd Street Bridge in Durango.
Shannon Jones was found face-down in the river shortly after 5 p.m. Aug. 30 by passersby, said La Plata County Coroner Jann Smith.
Those who found Jones attempted CPR, but their efforts were unsuccessful, said Durango Police Department Cmdr. Jacob Dunlop.
“We don’t have much information leading up to him being in the river,” Dunlop said. “There were some brief statements by some people on scene saying he was trying to cross the river, but we don’t have a good idea of his activities leading up to being in the water.”
Dunlop said Jones was reportedly trying to cross the river, but little else is known about the circumstances. No foul play is suspected.
“We did have witnesses that saw him in the water, extracted him from the water and performed CPR,” Dunlop said. “I believe they may have seen him go down in the river. ... It wasn’t an assault; it wasn’t suspicious circumstances.”
Dunlop said Jones arrived in Durango sometime in July, and little is known about his living situation.
DPD contacted the Navajo Nation Police Department, where Jones was from, which notified Jones’ next of kin.
The coroner is awaiting toxicology reports before issuing a final ruling on cause of death.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
