DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A man’s body was found floating in the water of the Halifax River on Saturday, according to Daytona Beach police.
Police said they responded to Caribbean Jack’s, a restaurant located at 721 Ballough Road, in reference to an emergency at 1:34 p.m.
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According to a police report, while officers were responding, they were told via radio that a body was floating in the Halifax River, which is part of the Intracoastal Waterway.
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Police said once they arrived on property, they were directed to the docks on east side of the property where they located the body floating in the water, later identified as Brian Sauder.
A witness told police that they were driving their jet ski northbound on the river when they saw the body face down in the water about 100 feet north of the Main Street Bridge. According to the report, the witness called law enforcement and stayed with the body until officers arrived.
Earlier in the day, an officer was flagged down on the Main Street Bridge around 3:57 a.m. by a man who was fishing, telling the officer he heard an “unknown subject” screaming for help, according to the report.
The witness said he did not see anyone in the water and could only hear someone yelling for help from the south side of the bridge, along the western banks of the river.
Police said they searched an area south of the bridge, based on the tide direction at the time.
According to the report, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was called to assist and searched an area between the Orange Avenue Bridge and the Seabreeze Bridge, but was unable to locate anyone.
Police said they also searched on foot the areas of Manatee Island, Main Street Bridge, Oakridge Bridge, Seabreeze Bridge and Silver Street Bridge, all with negative results, and “went back in service” around 5:31 a.m.
The manner and cause of Sauder’s death is pending toxicology, according to the report.
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