On january 31, 2011 at 1:03 pm, i received a call from raleigh dispatch who advised there was a possible drowning on mayo lake.  Dispatch advised that a man had evidently fell out of his canoe and was still missing.  I called up sgt and he met me at the may boating access area.  At approximately 2:00pm i put my boat on the water and we headed to the northern part of mayo lake.  Shortly after crossing the bowmantown bridge, we saw a pontoon boat on the bank.  There were two fighfighters on the bank and they had just located the canoe that was involved.  The canoe was upside down in shallow water.  Sgt and i assisted the firefighters in flipping the canoe right side up as it was full of water underneath.

Sgt and i then continued heading north on the lake until we saw several sheriff deputies on the bank.  They pointed out where the canoe reportedly flipped.  They also advised us that a subject attempted to rescue the victim.  They advised that subject was at the sheriff's office being questioned about the incident.  Sgt and i then went back to the ramp and loaded my patrol boat on it's trailer.  From the mayo access area, i went to the sheriff's office to speak with subject about the incident.

I arrived at the sheriff's office around 4:00pm.  Subject was in deputy’s office discussing the incident with deputy.  I too began questioning about what had happened.  Subject was cooperative and answered all my questions.  According to subject, he and victim stayed the previous night in a camper off of buck street.  Subject reported victim did get intoxicated by drinking alcohol on the night of 1/30/2011 and in the early morning hours of 1/31/11.  Subject reported they went to sleep somewhere between midnight and 2:00am.  Just before sunrise, subject heard victim get out of bed and walk out of the camper.  Subject assummed victim was going outside to urinate.  After 15 to 20 minutes went by, subject walked outside to look for victim and to see what he was doing.  Subject looked at the direction of the lake.  He reported seeing victim in the water beside an overturned canoe.  Victim and the canoe were almost at the halfway point in the channel between both sides of the bank.  Victim was calling for help.  In an attempt to help victim, subject got in the water and swam to him.  Both subject and victim successfully flipped the canoe over several times.  They made several attempts to climb into the canoe but were unsuccessful and the canoe kept flipping back over.  Subject and victim then attempted kicking their way back to shore while holding on to the canoe, but the canoe kept overturning.  The two then let go of the canoe and tried swimming back to shore without it.  Subject reported it was a very difficult swim back bacause they were so cold and physically exhausted.  Subject reported that when they released the canoe and began swimming back was the last time he saw victim.  Subject reported he was swimming in front of victim.  He could hear victim saying, "this is getting tough".  Subject tried to encourage victim to keep swimming by saying, "we have to make it back" and "focus and don't give up".  The last time subject heard victim's voice was about half way between the canoe and the shore.  Subject reported victim was not wearing a pfd.  Subject did not observe any life jackets in the water around the scene.

Subject reported that when he made it back to shore, he looked back and didn't see victim or the canoe.  At this point, he did not know where victim was or if he had made it back to shore.  He then crawled about 50 to 75 feet.  Subject reported he possible "passed out" but he wasn't sure.  Subject tried to stand up several time by using

ROXBORO                       