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Marietta Police have released the name of a man whose body was found on the west bank of the Muskingum River off Gilman Avenue in Harmar between the Marietta College Boathouse and the Washington Street Bridge on Tuesday.
The man has been identified as Jeffrey Keith, 51, of New Philadelphia, according to Marietta Police Captain Ryan Huffman.
Huffman said Keith had locked his keys in his car and an agency other than the Marietta Police Department gave him a ride into the city so he could make arrangements regarding his vehicle.
"It appears from the investigation and things we saw on the scene that he had walked through the silt from the flood to the edge of the river bank. And we could see it appears he had slipped from the edge of the river bank," Huffman said.
He said it is possible Keith hit his head when he fell in. Due to recent flooding, the Muskingum River was still high and the water was running swiftly. That, coupled with the fact that the river bank is steep, would have made it almost impossible for Keith to get out of the river, Huffman said.
Huffman said the police department notified Keith's family on Thursday.
Read more in the Sunday edition of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel.