FORT PIERCE, Florida (26 Feb 2008) — A South Carolina man vacationing in Fort Pierce drowned near a motel. Michael Joseph Ruthosky Jr., 23, was in town from Orangeburg, S.C. But on Feb. 26, police responding to a call about a drowning found him unconscious at the Mariner's Bay Hotel at 1920 Seaway Drive. Emergency workers at Lawnwood Regional Memorial Hospital and Heart Institute later pronounced him dead. Mr. Ruthosky was in town with 42-year-old Van Leson, who told police that the young man had lived with his family as a son for several years. When officers arrived on the scene, they found Mr. van performing CPR on the unconscious man, who was lying on his back on a rock wall leading to the intracoastal inlet. Mr. Ruthosky was wearing a wet suit, police reported, and his body had no signs of physical trauma. Mr. Van told police that he and the young man were getting ready to go scuba diving. Just before the dive, as Mr. Van was getting ready, Mr. Ruthosky smoked two cigarettes - a move that the older man advised against, the incident report states. After putting all his gears up, Mr. Van stated that he went out side and noticed that Mr. Ruthosky was When Mr. Van came out of the motel room, he found Mr. Ruthosky floating face-down in the water, he told investigators. | 
