Chicopee man who drowned at Sheffield pond identified as Richard Joly

SHEFFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - State police have released the identity of a man who is believed to have drowned at a Berkshire County pond Tuesday afternoon.

Trooper Kenneth Gaetz told 22News that Richard Joly, 67, of Chicopee died following Tuesday’s incident at Three Mile Pond in Sheffield.

According to State Police Media Relations, Joly and 49 year-old Edward Caisee of Chicopee were fishing in the pond when their small boat capsized just before 2:00 P.M. Caisee was able to swim to safety, but Joly, who was not wearing a life jacket, did not survive.

The state police dive team recovered Joly’s body around 6:15 Tuesday night.

Gaetz said that the preliminary findings from the medical examiner’s office indicate that Joly’s death is consistent with a drowning, but the official cause of death is pending until toxicology results can come in. He said that could take six to eight weeks.