news-record.com

Two of the three men who drowned in Jordan Lake in a five-day period in July had been drinking alcohol shortly before dying, according to autopsy reports.

Alcohol intoxication contributed to the drowning deaths of James J. Adams, 60, a forensic psychiatrist from New Hampshire, on July 8 near a boat ramp, and Stephen Patrick Russell, 23, an N.C. State University student from Canada, on July 4, autopsy reports show.

Brandon McCray, 26, an N.C. Central University alumnus who had done graduate work in English, also drowned at Jordan Lake that same week. But his death, according to an autopsy report, was not related to alcohol consumption.

The deaths amounted to a typical summer's worth of drownings in an unprecedented five days. Law enforcement and wildlife officials said they were "flukes" and were unrelated.

No foul play was suspected in any of the deaths.

McCray was found in about 7 feet of water near the intersection of Beaver Creek and Lower Pea Ridge roads. The autopsy summary said McCray was reportedly an avid fisherman and his gear was found on the shore.

Russell, a rising senior at NCSU and a club hockey player at the school, had been drinking beer with friends on July Fourth and disappeared while trying to swim across a cove, his autopsy report said. His body did not surface until the next day.

Adams had checked into the Crosswinds Campground the afternoon before his body was found.