Friend remembers 24-year-old found dead in Speedway retention pond

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Police have recovered the body of a missing person from Speedway in a retention pond.

He has been identified as 24-year-old Isidro Esteban-Rios. As investigators work to determine what led to his death, loved ones are remembering the life he lived.

“He has a lot of family, I know that, but he was more like a brother to me,” his friend Christian Senovio told News 8.

Hours after police recovered a van and Esteban-Rios’ body from a Speedway retention pond, his long-time friend came to the water’s edge searching for peace. He prayed, and played music in honor of his friend.

“We grew up together since we were kids, since we were like 13 going to school together, worked together for like five years together in the kitchen and that’s how I knew him,” Senovio said.

Senovio says he and Isidro went to Ben Davis High School together and were from the same area in Mexico. He said they were always there for each other.

“He was a great person, he had a great heart. He was a real, real nice person,” Senovio shared.

Esteban-Rios was reported missing Monday at the Eagle Lake Landing apartment complex in Speedway.
His body was found in the retention pond by the apartment complex.

Investigators used drones to locate what appeared to be a submerged van before calling in the Indiana State Police dive team.

“I was really praying it wasn’t him. I just called up a family member, that’s my cousin, that’s her cousin, she said he was dead, and I just started trying to figure out what happened,” Senovio said.

Senovio says he wanted to come to the scene of his friend’s resting place so he could pay his respects.

“I want to be here for him to at least know that he’s not alone. His family’s not alone. I know he left a kid that’s barely one year old. He’s going to need a lot of help,” Senovio told News 8.

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