Man who died after being found in River Don named by police

The 82-year-old man was found after emergency services were called

Author: Rory GannonPublished 27th Jul 2024

South Yorkshire Police have named a man whose body was retrieved from the River Don on Thursday morning.

Officers were first called to the Mexborough area of Doncaster at 7:36am on Thursday morning (July 25th), amid reports of a body being seen in the river.

Emergency services were called to the area to bring the man to safety, and he was taken from the waterway.

Medical professionals attended the scene to immediately give him treatment, but despite their best efforts - he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police have now identified the man as 82-year-old Jim Harris, with his family releasing a photo of the pensioner.

Following his discovery, South Yorkshire Police declared a murder investigation was underway, with a police scene being set up for around one kilometre along the river.

The scene has since been removed, but the investigation remains ongoing and police are carrying out enquiries.

Following police enquiries, two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder and were taken for questioning - but have since been released on bail.

Speaking on the case, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Woodward from South Yorkshire Police said: "As our investigation into the circumstances of this man's death continues, we are asking members of the public who may have information to please come forward.

"We are particularly interested in people who were in and around the Doncaster Road, Mexborough area between the hours of 6.00-8.00am on Thursday morning.

"We believe Jim was traveling in this area at the time and was using a walking stick as an aid," he said.

He went on to urge anyone who may have any relevant information to get in touch as soon as possible as it may help in their investigations.

In particular, those with dashcam or doorbell footage are being asked to come forward as soon as possible to further enquiries.

Anyone who may have relevant information can get in touch with the force by calling 101 and quoting incident reference number 154 from July 25th.

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