Somerset: Appeal after unexplained death of man in Street

Police are appealing for information after the unexplained death of a 22-year-old man.

Officers were called to a rhyne near Sharpham Drove in Street, Somerset, at about 13:45 GMT on 3 March after a member of the public found a body. The man has been formally identified as Jack Ayres, police said.

According to his family, Mr Ayres had been walking along Sharpham Drove at about 02:30 GMT that morning.

A post-mortem examination found no sign of physical injuries and ruled that the preliminary cause of his death was drowning.

Avon and Somerset Police said the circumstances of his death are “most likely” to be non-suspicious but police are treating it as unexplained while further inquiries are carried out on behalf of the coroner.

In a statement, Mr Ayres’ family said: “Nothing can put into words how we are all feeling right now.

“Jack was a much-loved son, grandson, brother, cousin, nephew and boyfriend.

“We know that nothing will bring Jack back but we just want to try and understand the lead-up to his passing.”

Det Ch Insp Clement Goodwin, from Avon and Somerset Police, said: “Our thoughts are first and foremost with Jack’s devastated family.

“We want to do all we can to provide them with as many answers as possible about what happened to their son in the moments leading up to his death and to do that we have been to nearby properties to seek any relevant CCTV footage.”

Any motorists who were travelling in the area during the early hours have been urged to check dashcam footage and contact police if they have any information which could aid the police investigation and provide the “devastated” family with greater clarity.

Mr Ayres is described as about 6ft tall, with light brown hair and blue eyes.

He was wearing dark clothing when he was last seen, police said.