A 29-year-old named Ryan Panchak was found dead in the waters of the Esopus Creek on Friday in the Ulster County town of Marbletown, and yesterday, the State Police announced that the cause of his death was drowning. But, according to the press release, Panchak had an "underlying medical condition" that may have contributed to his death:
An autopsy was conducted today’s date (09/20/10) and the cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation due to drowning with a contributing medical event, prior to entering the water. The death has been classified as Accidental.
Your News Now has some video of the accident scene, and the Daily Freeman has more detail. According to a State Police investigator who spoke with the Freeman, Panchak had gone fishing when tragedy struck:
State police Senior Investigator Peter Kusminsky said Panchak had gone to the site to fish. He said police found a fishing pole in the water and a tackle box nearby. He also said Panchak’s car, a Honda Civic, had been parked at the site.
