I walked along the path beside the water towards fluorescent jackets, I could see their reflection in the clouds in the murky brown water as the wind blew ripples in it, Fire, Ambulance, Police, Special Rescue and others were up ahead.
One of the firefighters had a long pole, on the end of the pole was a man.
Floating. Face down.
Contrary to popular belief, bodies don't float straight away.
When someone dies in water, they normally sink. This is often as a result of the water filling their body, normally through the lungs. As decomposition continues, the bacteria in the chest and gut produce gases. These gases cause the person to float, normally by the torso. The head and limbs often follow suit.
Bodies that fall into the water face down, already dead, may float from the off. This is normally because the air in the lungs can't escape.
This man was wearing a green three quarter length jacket, a scarf, grey trousers and black shoes.
He wasn't young.
He had to come out of the water, the Fire Brigade were itching to get him out, they had been there for a while.
When people see someone in water, they're not sure who to call first. Normally, each Emergency Service will contact the other and notify them. All services are likely to go to such an incident.
I was with another CSI, and we lay a plastic sheet on the ground in line with him. The Firemen pulled him out, as gracefully as they could and lay him on the sheet, then it was up to me to search his pockets for ID.
I had gloves on but he was cold. I could feel that much.
He had a hanky in his left pocket, which along with everything else, was soaked through.
I checked him for injuries as I went, but I couldn't see any.
He had his watch on his left wrist, the hands surrounded by water. A bubble remained inside the face, it looked like he'd worn that watch every day of his life, and now his death.
As I put my hand into his left hand inside pocket of his jacket, I struck gold.
A clear Lloyds moneybag; inside was a driving licence with current address, a roll of notes, a shopping list and two Rover keys.
This doesn't look like someone has bopped him on the head or pushed him in for his valuables.
I checked under his clothes for injuries and marks. There were none. I checked front and back of his neck, nothing.
He had very hairy ears.
It turns out the gent had left home earlier that morning to go to the City to do some shopping with a friend- he never got there, and now he never would.
He was widowed and lived alone, so no one would have missed him at home. His friend wasn't sure why he hadn't arrived but wasn't worried, supposing there was no reason to be worried.
Whilst I was there, a police unit had found the male's car parked up and secure only a mile away.
The male had no injuries and he had all of his valuables. There was nothing suspicious about his death.
This wasn't a crime. This was a tragic accident.
CSI Guy
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