Modesto man, 81, found dead in swimming pool after being out of contact a few days
An 81-year-old Modesto resident was found dead in his home swimming pool Sunday evening after apparently having been in the water at least a couple of days.
Public safety responders went to a home on Sherwood Court, southeast of Sherwood and Bowen avenues, at about 6:15 p.m. after getting a report of a drowning.
The resident, Robert Madruga, was found dead in the pool.
Deputy Fire Chief Darin Jesberg said the coroner will do an autopsy to determine cause of death.
Madruga last was seen by his girlfriend on Wednesday, July 12, when he said he was going to swim. She told him it was too hot for her, so she went home, Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Sharon Bear said. After trying to get in contact with him for several days, she went to his neighbors’ house to ask if they had seen him.
The neighbors looked over the fence into Madruga’s backyard and saw him floating in the pool, Bear said. Nothing appeared suspicious about the man’s death, she said, so the case falls to the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office.
The region is in the grip of a heat wave, with high temperatures in Modesto having reached 99 degrees Friday, 103 Saturday and 104 Sunday. Wednesday, the day Madruga reportedly was last seen, reached 96.
The days ahead largely are expected to reach triple-digit temperatures. Anticipated highs in Modesto, according to the National Weather Service, are 104 degrees Monday, 99 Tuesday, 98 Wednesday, 100 Thursday, 104 Friday and Saturday, and 101 Sunday. Overnight lows should range from 65 to 71 degrees.
Heat safety advice from the weather service includes staying hydrated, wearing sun protection, limiting outdoor activities and checking on those most vulnerable, including the elderly, children and pets.
