CATAWBA COUNTY (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A man whose body was found in a tributary of the Henry Fork River has had his death ruled an accidental drowning according to deputies.

The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office previously identified Ron Christopher Broussard Jr. Broussard, 33, of Rocky Mount as the body that was discovered over the weekend in a tributary of the Henry Fork River.

The Sheriff’s Office said that family members had informed investigators that Broussard began residing in the Hickory area in 2022. Boussard was last seen on Mar. 30, 2023, in southeast Hickory near a large storm drain that leads to where his body was later found.

Investigators said they were called just before 11 a.m. on Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023, about a possible body in a tributary of Henry Fork River.

A resident of Catawba Vally Boulevard noticed that the water had been rising. The man’s body was eventually located nearby in the tributary close to Dorothy Court.

Investigators say that they do not suspect foul play in Broussard’s death.