Aurora man drowns in Fox River, police say

An Aurora man apparently drowned after jumping into the Fox River to cool off during the heat wave, police said Saturday.

Gene Autry Pryor, 52, died Friday night, Aurora police said. The Kane County coroner's office has scheduled an autopsy for Monday.

Aurora police and fire crews were called to the river near Veteran's Memorial Island about 7 p.m. Friday. Pryor and three friends had been drinking before he went into the water, police said.

After several minutes, his friends lost sight of him, police said. They eventually saw him floating face down in the river and pulled him out before emergency crews arrived.

Pryor was pronounced dead at 7:35 p.m. at Provena Mercy Medical Center in Aurora.