Soldier Found Dead in River Had Ropes Wrapped Around Body and Suffered ‘Violent or Unnatural’ Death, Coroner Says

Charlie Saywell's cause of death was ruled a drowning, according to an inquest

A soldier reportedly had a rope wrapped around his body when he was found in a river.

On March 5, the body of 25-year-old Charlie Saywell was found in the River Medway, near Chatham, England. According to The Times, an inquest has determined that the soldier's cause of death was drowning, with the coroner adding that he suffered a “violent or unnatural” death.

PEOPLE has contacted the Coroner's Office and Kent Police for comment.

Per the outlet, Saywell’s body was initially found under a boat after a worker alerted emergency services that they spotted a body covered in mud.

The Telegraph reported that the man was already deceased before services were called to the scene at Turks Shipyard.

According to both outlets, coroner Catherine Wood said at the opening of an inquest in Maidstone on April 4 that the worker found Saywell with a rope wrapped around his torso and his legs.

The Kent Police said in a press release issued on March 13 that Saywell had been out "with friends during the previous evening." After taking a taxi to his residence in Brompton, he then "took a walk into Chatham town centre" sometime between midnight and 2 a.m.

“Officers understand Charlie walked past Primark in Chatham High Street before he visited a fast-food outlet,” the police said. “He may have mistakenly got into an unidentified car nearby, where it is reported he was assaulted by the driver and suffered facial injuries.”

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Per the release, Detective Sergeant Karen Caulfield said Saywell "had a phone conversation before his death which indicated he may have suffered an assault in the town during that period."

While the police are looking for witnesses who may have seen the soldier during those hours, particularly at the fast-food outlet or near the car, they "are not treating Charlie’s death as suspicious," Caulfield said.

The sergeant added, "It is important we understand where he visited and what happened to him prior to his tragic death."

A GoFundMe page, meanwhile, has been set up by Saywell’s friend, Joe Leishman. “For those who did not have the privilege of knowing Charlie, he was a remarkable individual — a true role model in both stature and character,” Leishman wrote in the description of the fundraiser, which has raised over £4000 (or roughly $5000 USD) so far.

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