Police Identify Man Who Drowned In Sarasota Bay

Sarasota Police say a 61-year-old man found in Sarasota Bay Sunday morning apparently died of an accidental drowning.

Police identified the victim has James LaRive, who had previously described himself as homeless and lived aboard a sailboat anchored in the mooring field. Police say they delayed the announcement of the drowning until Thursday morning until LaRive's body could have been positively identified and his family was notified.

LaRive's body was discovered by a boater at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday near Island Park, according to police.

Emergency responders, including Sarasota Police Officer Tschetter and Officer Blanco using a Sarasota Police boat arrived on the scene and pulled the victim from the water, according to police, then transported LaRive to the 10th Street boat ramp for a death investigation.  

Though police have released a preliminary cause of death, they say their investigation is not complete and are asking anyone with information to call Detective McDowell at 941-364-7309.

This version corrects the age of the victim provided by police.