Body of East Hampton Man Found in Waters of Deep River

The two-day search for an East Hampton man who went for a swim with his brother in the Connecticut River in Chester, but never made it back to shore, ended Tuesday after his body was pulled out of the waters in the town of Deep River.

Lt. J. Paul Vance, Connecticut State Police spokesman, said that the body of a man pulled out by a recreational boater earlier on Tuesday is confirmed to be that of Dariusz Czarnota, 37, a resident of 64 Saffron Lane in East Hampton.

Vance said the state police have no confirmed cause of death yet, although the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is expected to conduct a post mortem autopsy soon. Vance said the investigation is still ongoing, although right now the case appears to be nothing criminal.

“It’s just a very tragic accident,” Vance said.

Despite multiple state and local agencies, it ended up being a boater who was out on the water Tuesday who found Czarnota’s body in the town of Deep River, just south of Chester. The boater, identified by Fox CT as Alan Collin, reportedly found the body around 8 a.m., the news station reported (click the link to see a recorded interview with Collin).

Czarnota, and his brother, both jumped into the river from the Chester Point Marina around 2 p.m. on Sunday and began swimming toward a boat moored in the middle of the river. When the brother turned around, he realized Czarnota wasn’t there and that he had gone under the surface.

The brother swam back to shore, called 911 and the day-long search began. The state police, equipped with a sonar boat, combed the waters, and members of the U.S. Coast Guard also participated.

Chester fire officials have reportedly told area state news agencies that currents in this area of the river can be rough. When the 911 call was dispatched, it went out as a possible drowning in Chester.

In response to this, Vance said it’s difficult to say how much currents had an effect because, whenever there is a drowning, the body of the victim is never found in the exact place where the drowning occurred.

“Currents change and, quite frankly, in the spring time, the water can be dangerous because they’re so much debris,” Vance said. “I’m not a boater, but I’ve been told by our Connecticut guide team that the currents in our river are tricky.”