Body Found In December In Eel River Identified As North Manchester Teen

The body found in Eel River in December has been identified as Jorge Antonio Hernandez-Gutierrez, 19, North Manchester.
According to a news release from the North Manchester Police Department, at about 8:52 p.m. Dec. 21, NMPD officers responded to a possibly dead person in the Eel River in the area of Ind. 114 and River Road. Upon arrival, officers found a man dead in the river. After further investigation, deceased man was identified as Hernandez-Gutierrez.
On the night of Dec. 20, for unknown reasons, Hernandez-Gutierrez left his North Manchester residence and entered the Eel River, where he died, the release states.
An autopsy was conducted on Hernandez-Gutierrez and the cause of death was determined to be drowning and hypothermia with cocaine and ethanol toxicity.
The release states at this time the investigation is closed.
The NMPD was assisted by North Manchester Fire Department, Wabash County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, Indiana Conservation Office, Chester Fire Department, Pleasant Fire Department, Parkview Ambulance Service, Wabash County Coroner’s Office, Wabash County Emergency Management Agency and the Northeast Indiana Forensic Center.