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Name Withheld

Age :

Gender : Male

Race : Unknown

Date : 07/06/2026

Location : Creek near Grapevine Trail and Levee Road

City : McClure

County : Alexander

State : Illinois

Agency : Alexander County Sheriff's Office

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Drowned

Event : Drowned during police pursuit

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

REASON FOR CHASE:
Police attempted to arrest the man following a reported domestic battery.
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NARRATIVE:
On 07/06/2026, an unidentified adult man drowned in a creek near Grapevine Trail and Levee Road in rural Alexander County, Illinois, while fleeing an Alexander County sheriff's deputy who was attempting to take him into custody following a reported domestic battery.
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At approximately 4:30 p.m., an Alexander County Sheriff's Office deputy responded to a report of a domestic battery in McClure. According to the Illinois State Police, when the deputy attempted to take the man into custody, he ran.
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Alexander County deputies searched for the man after he fled. Deputies subsequently located him in a creek near Grapevine Trail and Levee Road.
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Illinois State Police reported that emergency responders were unable to reach the man before he drowned. The available official account does not explain how the man entered the creek, how long he was in the water, whether officers maintained visual contact with him, or what rescue efforts were attempted before responders reached the area.
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The Alexander County Sheriff's Office requested that the Illinois State Police investigate the death. ISP publicly announced the investigation on 07/07/2026 and described it as an active investigation, stating that no additional information was available at that time.
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The circumstances establish that the drowning occurred during an active police encounter: a deputy attempted to arrest the man, he ran, deputies searched for him, and he drowned after being located in the creek. There is no publicly reported evidence that the man entered the water intending to die. The death is therefore classified as drowning during police pursuit rather than suicide.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Alexander County Sheriff's Office has not publicly identified the deputy who responded to the domestic battery call and attempted to take the man into custody. Illinois State Police is the outside agency investigating the death.
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SOURCE LINKS :

https://isp.illinois.gov/Media/CompletePressRelease/2452
https://illinois-state-police.prezly.com/illinois-state-police-investigating-drowning-in-rural-alexander-county
https://www.kfvs12.com/2026/07/07/man-fleeing-deputies-found-dead-alexander-county-creek/
https://www.kfvs12.com/video/2026/07/06/man-fleeing-deputies-found-dead-alexander-county-creek/
https://www.z100fm.com/2026/07/08/illinois-state-police-investigates-drowning-in-rural-alexander-county/
https://westkentuckystar.com/News/Local-Regional/Death-investigation-underway-in-Alexander-County%2C