Body recovered from Elizabeth River

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Officials tell WAVY.com the body of a man who reportedly drowned in the Elizabeth River early Friday morning has been recovered.

Three people - a man, woman and 10-year-old child - entered the water near the 3000 block of Kimball Terrace around 1:00 a.m., but only the woman and child came out.

The woman, Timeca Rawls, was understandbly shaken by the whole ordeal. "I reached out, I said follow my voice, please follow my voice. He was looking at me and I said, 'Follow my voice' and I couldn't get him. I could not get him. I'm only five-one, five-two and he's like six-one, and I swam as far as I could and I could not get him," she tearfully told WAVY.com.

Norfolk fire and emergency crews brought out a boat to search the water.

Timeca Rawls sat in shock as police and emergency crews worked into the early morning hours to find her friend Warren, who she says drowned right in front of her.

"But when he got caught on something that's when he yelled, 'I'm stuck, I'm stuck!'" Rawls continued. "It's unbelievable to me, I watched him drown. I watched the last bubbles and everything."

Neighbors, awoken by the commotion, were surprised when they found out someone actually went swimming in the water. They say even in daylight they avoid going near that part of the water, let alone in it.

Meanwhile, Rawls refused to go inside, telling WAVY.com, "I'm going to stay here no matter if a hurricane comes or not. I'm going to sit and wait until they find his body. I was the last person to see him, and I need to be the last person to see him when his body comes out."

The man has not yet been identified. As standard procedure, the victim's body will be taken to the Medical Examiner's Office for evaluation. At this time, police say there is no indication of foul play.