Local family copes with loss of young man on Father's Day weekend
Adam Royce Duke, shown at far left with his sister Danielle on his Facebook page, was struck and killed by a train in Edgewater. A remembrance photo of him with a nephew placed after his Tuesday death on his profile page, describes him as "Son, Brother, Friend."
EDGEWATER -- The man killed after slipping on the railroad tracks while throwing rocks at a train has been identified by cops as 24-year-old Adam Royce Duke.
And a local family remembering the loss of a father now come to grips with the loss of his son, a young man with a life filled with possibilities, on this Father's Day weekend.
The Edgewater man was with two juveniles early Tuesday when he slipped and fell into the path of the train after throwing rocks at it, police said.
The Florida East Railroad notified Edgewater police at 1:25 a.m. that a northbound train struck the young man in the 2500 block of Hibiscus Drive, just north of 26th Street.
Police had delayed releasing his name while contacting his nearest relatives. A press release from the Edgewater cops stated an on-scene investigation was conducted on the tracks and that no additional information would be released until the investigation was completed.
Though police said in the release that he lived in Edgewater, the victim's Facebook profile said he was from Edgewater, but was residing in Daytona Beach Shores. He graduated from New Smyrna Beach High School in in 2007.
Ironically, he described on his Facebook page where it lists favorite quotations: "Live now, Die later."
Duke was described on his Facebook page in a photo as "Son, Brother and Friend."
Lauren Lanier, a family friend said of him, "I am best friends with his sister, Danielle, so I have known him and his family for 10 years. He was a hard worker, great friend and loved his family very much."
She said Duke had a girlfriend for three years and worked as a landscaper.
"We had a memorial for him (Friday) and many people showed up to celebrate," Lanier said. "All of his friends expressed he was a loyal friend and would do anything for them. His father passed away a few years ago. He was very close with his family and they will miss him very much."
"We had a memorial for him (Friday) and many people showed up to celebrate," Lanier said. "All of his friends expressed he was a loyal friend and would do anything for them. His father passed away a few years ago and his mothers still alive. He was very close with his family and they will miss him very much."
At left, Lauren Lanier, family friend of Adam R. Duke, 24, tragically killed in freak accident early Tuesday.