MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Police in Manchester are probing the death of a man, who residents suspect drowned in a section of a river in Alligator Pond over the weekend.

The man, who has been identified as Wayne Watson, 34, spoke with OBSERVER ONLINE last week following a suspected case of drowning in Alligator Pond.

Residents told our news team that Watson was last seen on Friday afternoon leaving a construction site to swim in a section of the community known as Bakidare in Compound.

His family raised an alarm after he didn’t return home. A search was then conducted of the area.

His body was found in the river’s mangrove on Sunday afternoon.

Watson, a fisherman for 17 years in the community, explained last week that the Alligator Pond beach (downstream from where he was found) has a sea and a river. He said locals warn visitors to use the river for recreation like swimming, but not to venture into the sea.

READ: Alligator Pond warning — Another drowning on Sunday; residents warn visitors to swim in river instead of sea

“This sea, when it comes to this time, it takes a lot of lives and we don’t want anyone’s lives to take now because a lot of people are on the beach same way today (Monday). We tell the people to be careful how they go into the sea, because it can be very rough,” Watson told our newsteam over the weekend.

He added: “The water can be deep more time and when you talk to the people they still are not listening. Don’t follow others like we (locals). We can swim.”

– Kasey Williams