NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — The bodies of two people found in the water Monday morning in Newport News have been identified as two missing boaters, officials confirm.
The Newport News Fire Department received a call around 7:35 a.m. about a possible body in the water in the area of Victory Landing Park, which is next to Newport News Shipbuilding.
Ten minutes later, there was a second call for another body in the water in a different location.
Ellen Bolen with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, said the bodies were later identified as Leroy Parker and Robert Coleman, 58, both from Emporia.
The two went missing following a collision between a recreational boat and an oyster barge on the James River. Nearby boaters helped save four other people.
Several agencies — including VMRC, The U.S. Coast Guard and Virginia Marine Police — responded along the river Saturday, July 14, to search for Coleman and Parker.
The search was suspended Sunday afternoon before their bodies were found Monday.
