Originally posted Sat, 2009-10-17 10:43
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Courtesy photo. The body of Harvey Andrew Beltz, 56, of Edgewater, was recovered in the Intracoastal Waterway during the early morning hours of Saturday, Oct. 17, the victim of a drowning having apparently fallen overboard just north of the South Causeway.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A fisheran's body was recovered this morning in the Intracoastal Waterway about a quarter mile north of the South Causeway Bridge where his 19-foot motorboat was spotted with full fishing gear at daybreak, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission confirmed.
The boat was found at 6:23 a.m.wedged under a dock at Manatee Park, 201 S. Riverside Drive and after checking its registration, New Smyrna Beach police learned it was owned by 56-year-old Harvey Andrew Beltz of Edgewater.
The U.S. Coast Guard, Volusia County Sheriff's helicopter and the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission assisted in the search for him, New Smyrna Beach police Sgt. Eugene Griffith said, adding the man's body was found about a quarter mile north of the boat in the river.
No foul play is suspected and a medical condition such as a heart attack is the likely cause, though an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death, said Lenny Salberg, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Salberg said investigators belief the victim was fishing at the time of the mishap with the boat off and in neutral, when he apparently fell overboard and drowned. Investigators found alcohol on the boat, but couldn't determine if he had been intoxicated, the spokesman said.
"There was a fish in his boat, fishing poles and his safety equipment," Salberg said, adding "If he had his life jacket on, it probably would have saved his life.