Jackson drowning victim identified

Editor's note: The following story has been edited for further clarification.

The man who drowned in Jackson City Park's Rotary Lake on Sunday night during the city's Fourth of July fireworks display has been identified as 58-year-old Kenneth R. Pair of Jackson.

Pair's identity was released Wednesday by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. According to the Highway Patrol, Pair was the sixth drowning victim in the Troop E region of Southeast Missouri in 2021.

Eyewitnesses said Pair, wearing only a pair of shorts, left his dog and other possessions in a small pavilion next to the lake and walked into the water at about 9:40 p.m. Sunday, submerged about 40 feet from shore and did not resurface. His body was recovered several hours later in about 6 feet of water.

An investigation by Jackson police and fire departments has not determined why Pair walked into the lake.

"As of right now, we're going to just have to say it was for unknown reasons," said Jackson Fire Department Capt. Robert Greif, the department's public information officer. "The family had no answers and there was nothing that I personally know about that would lead to any specific reason."

Although he lived in Jackson, Greif said Pair had "no specific address" at the time of his death.

It was unclear as of Wednesday whether there would be an autopsy to determine Pair's exact cause of death.

"We do believe it was strictly accidental," Greif said. "There was no indication of foul play."

Cape Girardeau County Coroner Wavis Jordan contacted members of Pair's family Tuesday and Wednesday.

Jackson Parks and Recreation director Shane Anderson said it's "too early to say" whether the incident could affect future Fourth of July celebrations in Jackson City Park or any other activities around Rotary Lake.

"No decisions have been made yet," Anderson said. "Nothing will be decided until after the investigation is complete."