Emergency services responded to concerns for the safety of a man in the canal near Central Road in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The man, who has since been identified as 26-year-old Samuel Youdan, was recovered from the water and taken to hospital where he sadly died.

Detective Inspector Lucy Garside from Rotherham Reactive CID said: “This was a very tragic incident which resulted in the death of a young man, whose family are absolutely devastated.”

Whilst his family is being supported by specialist officers, South Yorkshire Police have launched an investigation into his death.

Detectives are working to understand both how and why Samuel was in the water at 3.15am.

Det Insp Garside said: “My team have been working tirelessly over the last few days to piece together Samuel’s last known movements. We now know from CCTV footage that he was in Rotherham Town Centre between the hours of 12.30am and 3.15am.

“We are now calling upon members of the public to come forward if you believe you can help.”

Mr Youdan’s last known location was The Arc Cinema Complex, Forge Island.

To report any information, call 101 or report via their online portal here, by quoting incident number 131 of the 16th November 2024.

In order to make a report anonymously, contact Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111, or through their online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.