Friends Shed Light on Drowning Deaths of 'Very Sociable' Men

The Hampton River Marina yard manager has told the Union Leader that the two men found floating in the water last week had been left with a boat overnight Thursday on a floating dock moored in the river, but were missing when a friend of the men returned to the dock in a dingy the next morning.

Mark Classen, 57, and Bruce Menezes, 53, both of Hampton, were found floating in Hampton River not far from the marina late Friday morning. Autopsy results indicate the men drowned, although police haven't released additional information about how the men ended up in the water or how they may have drowned.

The Union Leader has reported that friends and neighbors of the men, who were roommates and as described as "very sociable," said they believe the deaths were accidental, maybe occurring after "one of them fell into the river and the other jumped in to rescue him," ultimately ending with both men being "swept away by the current."

Hampton Deputy Police Chief Rich Sawyer told Patch on Monday that there is still "no new information" about the investigation into the deaths. 

Sawyer said the Chief Medical Examiner's Office will issue a formal report in the near future, although police still can't comment as to whether foul play has been ruled out and still can't comment on how or why the bodies may have ended up in the river. 

No one has reported finding an empty boat in or around Hampton River, said Sawyer on Monday.