ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. — Deputies in Rockingham County recovered the body of a man from a riverbank near a boat landing off Bethlehem Church Road in Eden after kayakers reported seeing what appeared to be a person in the water.
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded May 10, 2026, at about 5 p.m. to the report near the bank. The body of a deceased male was retrieved from the riverbank area, where it was lodged against debris. The body was sent to the N.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for examination and identification.
Investigators later learned that family members had reported Jerome Jermaine Kellam missing to the Eden Police Department on May 11, 2026, at about 6:30 p.m. Detectives with the sheriff’s office and Eden police then began investigating Kellam’s disappearance and the recovery of the male body and any possible connection.
On May 12, 2026, the medical examiner’s office notified the sheriff’s office that the body had been identified as 48-year-old Jerome Jermaine Kellam of Eden. Kellam’s family was notified of the identification May 12 by both the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Eden Police Department.
The cause of death, as advised by the medical examiner’s office, was indicative of drowning, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said Kellam’s death and recovery are not connected to any other recent recovery of human remains reported in Rockingham County, and that each incident is separate.
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office thanked the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, the Eden, Madison and Reidsville rescue squads, Rockingham County EMS, and the Eden Police Department for their assistance.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A Sunday evening kayaking trip on the Dan River in Rockingham County ended with an investigation after a group of people found a body in the water.
The call came in at around 5 p.m. Sunday, when kayakers reportedly found a body. Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page said it took several hours for investigators to recover the remains.
“Some kayakers on the Dan River coming down to the boat landing, down in the Bethlehem Church Road area, when he got down there, apparently he saw what he believed to be a body,” Page said.
The remains have been sent to the medical examiner in Raleigh as investigators work to determine the man’s identity and cause of death.
“Could be natural, could be accidental, or it could be intentional, a homicide,” Page said.
The discovery marks the third set of human remains found in Rockingham County over the last two months, though Page said investigators do not believe the cases are connected.
“We have no factual evidence to believe any of these are connected…is it unusual? I’ve worked in Rockingham County for 48 years, in law enforcement and 28 years as sheriff…you don’t know when you’re going to pass, only one person knows when you’re going to pass away and you can’t pick where it happens at,” Page said.
The sheriff’s office confirmed it is contacting other counties to find out whether they have had recent missing persons cases as the investigation continues.