The family of a young boxer found dead in swampy marshland are appealing for the public’s help to understand how he died.
The body of Jack Ayres, 22, was recovered from a body of water in rural Somerset after he was last seen walking close to Sharpham Drove, near Glastonbury, at 2.30am on Monday March 3.
The talented boxer’s body was discovered by a member of the public who called police at about 1.45pm the same day.
Avon and Somerset police said a post-mortem examination found the preliminary cause of Jack’s death was drowning. The examination found no sign of any other physical injuries.
Jack’s family said in a statement: “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.”
Pyramid boxing club said Jack was a “friend, a family man and a true warrior” and he will “never know how much we will miss him.”
Avalon boxing club released a tribute to Jack expressing their sadness. They said: “Jack joined us when he was 11 years old and trained and boxed for the club for over 6 years.
“We have many fond memories of Jack, who was a great boxer and a lovely lad. Our condolences go out to Jack’s family.”
Jack was described as about 6ft tall, with light brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing dark clothing when last seen.
Detective Chief Inspector Clement Goodwin 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.
“The lack of any physical injuries would suggest the circumstances of his death are most likely to be non-suspicious, but we are treating it as unexplained while further enquiries are carried out on behalf of the coroner.
“We would ask any motorists who were travelling in that area during the early hours of Monday 3 March to please check any dashcam footage and come forward if they have something that can assist our enquiries.
“Any information would be gratefully received as it may be able to help us provide Jack’s family with greater clarity around what happened.”
His death came as police recovered a body in the search for a missing university student Sebastian Sailes, 21, was last seen leaving the Black Horse Pub in Wiltshire at about 11.30pm on 27 February.
He is thought to have headed south along Avon Valley Walk, with search and rescue services concentrating their efforts on a section of the River Avon.
Source: independent.co.uk
