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Davenport man dead after car plunges into the Mississippi

Another man is in critical condition after being found near the accident, wet and laying in the snow.

MOLINE, Ill. — Update: Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson identified the victim of the crash at the Mississippi River in Moline as Francisco Javier Vera Vasquez, 32, from Davenport. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday. 

The crash remains an open and active investigation with Moline Police.

Original: A Davenport man is dead and another is in the hospital after their car went into the river just after 6 a.m. Sunday. 

It happened on 23rd Street in Moline, near the Celebration Belle and River Drive. 

Police say a construction employee arrived at work and noticed tire tracks in the snow and missing barricades in the parking lot. Then the employee noticed a hole in the ice and heard cries for help. 

Police found a 21-year-old Davenport male lying in the snow, wet. He was transported to a hospital by MedForce and faces life threatening injuries. 

According to a press release, police located a white Chrysler 300 passenger car submerged in eight feet of water, and an occupant, a 32-year-old male from Davenport. 

Rescue and recovery efforts were coordinated by the Moline Fire Department, who was assisted by the Moline Public Works Department, Big River Rescue and Recovery dive team, and Cantrell's Towing. 

The Mississippi was covered in ice and air temperatures were around -4 when divers recovered the vehicle and its occupant, who was pronounced dead. 

Alcohol is believed to be a factor. 

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