Battle Creek Police Identify Man Whose Body was Found in the Kalamazoo River

Police have released the name of a man whose body was discovered in the Kalamazoo River in Battle Creek on Sunday.

Battle Creek Police have identified the man whose remains were recovered on Sunday as those of 63-year-old Luis Romero-Jimenez. Police say it appears that he was homeless, and living in the Battle Creek area.

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The Calhoun County Medical Examiner was able to identify Romero-Jimenez by his fingerprints. According to a release from the Battle Creek Police Department, police have notified Romero-Jimenez's family.

The cause of Romero-Jimenez's death is still under investigation, however, it does not appear to be suspicious.

Romero-Jimenez's badly decomposed body was found by marine officers patrolling the river late Sunday, July 25, 2021, after assisting with a water rescue of some kayakers who got into trouble, though were said to be doing fine.

Following the kayaker assist, Marine officers with the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources continued patrolling the Kalamazoo River. That is when they spotted the body.

The remains were caught up in some tree branches along the riverbank near Riverside Drive. No identification was found on Romero-Jimenez at the time of the discovery. Other than noting the remains belonged to a man no other information could be ascertained due to the length of time he had been in the water.

During the recovery, Riverside was closed off to traffic between Dickman Road and Burnham Street.