Pawleys Island body identified as dock worker who fell into Waccamaw River

The body found Thursday evening in Pawleys Island has been identified as Karim Rafi Muhammad, 53, who has been missing since Nov. 23 when he reported fell off a floating dock into the Waccamaw River, according to a release from Deputy Coroner Paulette Radcliffe.

Muhammad, 53, was located in the marsh along Bannockburn Drive in a Pawley’s Island community just after 8 p.m. Thursday. An autopsy has been scheduled for Saturday morning to confirm the suspicions of drowning, according to the release.

Rescue workers searched for several weeks at the end of November after Muhammad fell into the river while working.

A second man working on the dock was rescued by a neighbor who heard their calls for help. The rescued man said he saw his co-worker waving and shouting before going under the water, and that he never resurfaced, according to an incident report.

The two men were on a floating dock that was not secured to the stationary dock on which they were working. The floating dock was pulled away by the strong current, and when both men tried to hold it to the stationary dock, they fell into the water, authorities said.

This story was originally published February 19, 2016 at 2:01 PM with the headline "Pawleys Island body identified as dock worker who fell into Waccamaw River."