Big Island police officials said yesterday that an autopsy conducted this past Wednesday determined that 27-year-old Vincent E. Scerbo of the Ainaloa subdivision in Puna died of asphyxia due to fresh water drowning.

At 12:21 p.m. Tuesday, May 27, South Hilo patrol officers and Fire Department personnel responded to a report of a missing swimmer at Boiling Pots, also known as Peepee falls. They learned that Scerbo had climbed up and was standing under a waterfall when he fell or jumped. He surfaced once and disappeared under the water.

Fire Department personnel, using divers and a rescue helicopter, recovered Scerbo's body. He was taken to Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:30 p.m.