Coroner identifies man found in Savannah River

The man whose body was found in the Savannah River by a fisherman on July 19 has been identified as an Alabama resident.

Richmond County authorities identified the man as 38-year-old Jermaine Pate of Georgiana, Alabama. He was identified through his fingerprints, coroner Mark Bowen said. The death is being treated as suspicious pending autopsy results.

A fisherman made the gruesome discovery on July 19 and immediately called 911. The coroner’s office arrived on the scene and found the body along 630 Riverfront Drive in Augusta, a large open field.

It’s unclear what Pate was doing in the Augusta-Aiken area, but his Facebook page lists several of his friends as Aiken residents.