EAU CLAIRE — A man missing since he ran away from a traffic stop last month was found drowned Friday in the Eau Claire River, according to autopsy results released Monday by the Eau Claire Police Department.
Police say Blake L. Mares, 23, was pulled from the river midday on Friday and was later positively identified during an autopsy conducted at UW-Madison.
Mares is one of three men reported missing within the past month in Eau Claire. Police continue to search for the two other missing men: 25-year-old Brenden Felton and 33-year-old Byron Reece.
The cause of Mares’ death is listed as fresh water drowning and there were no signs of external trauma to Mares’ body, according to an Eau Claire Police Department news release.
Police said friends and family members had not heard from Mares after he ran away from the Oct. 20 traffic stop on Eau Claire’s far east side. He was declared a missing person on Nov. 5, leading to several searches and interviews in an attempt to locate him.
A kayaker found Mares body at about 11:24 a.m. on Friday in a stretch of the river that lies within the city of Altoona.
