Coroner - Drowning of man at farm pond accidental

A rural Cape Girardeau County man was found drowned on a farm pond on his property at 2:35 a.m. Tuesday. The death of Ronald Farrow, 39, has been ruled accidental.

According to Lt. David James of the Cape Girardeau County sheriff's department, deputies were called to Farrow's residence on County Road 532 near Pocahontas around midnight Monday.

Family members said they had not seen Farrow, who apparently had intended to go fishing, since noon that day.

"They did not know if he went to town or if somebody had picked him up," James said. "They became concerned when he failed to show up for supper. They became alarmed when several hours went by and nobody had heard from him."

During a search of Farrow's property, deputies discovered a boat floating unsecured on the pond. Using a rescue boat belonging to the sheriff's department, deputies dragged the pond and found Farrow's body in 13 feet of water near the levee where the boat was apparently launched.

No witnessesThere were no witnesses to the accident; Farrow had apparently gone fishing by himself.

Coroner Mike Hurst said it appeared that Farrow had been pushing his boat into the water, and probably got stuck in the mud.

The boat may have moved away from him while he was trying to get into it, and Hurst said Farrow likely fell from the levee into the water and probably never got into the boat.

James said Farrow's boat had a V-shaped bottom, which he said is less stable on the water than a flat-bottomed boat. He speculated that Farrow might have been in the boat, which tipped over shortly after being launched from the levee.

James and Hurst said it's not unusual for people to fish alone, but Farrow could not swim, Hurst said, although he could tread water.

Hurst said there was no evidence to suggest that alcohol was involved or that Farrow's death was anything other than an accident.

Farrow was the father and stepfather of six children. He and his wife, Cheryl, had recently married. He and his family had worked in the timber business for more than 20 years.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160