{"id":37712,"date":"2025-07-04T09:30:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T09:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/37712\/"},"modified":"2025-07-04T09:30:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T09:30:12","slug":"man-found-dead-in-san-antonio-river-remembered-as-exceptional-person-with-bright-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/37712\/","title":{"rendered":"Man found dead in San Antonio River remembered as \u2018exceptional\u2019 person with bright future"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 A man found dead earlier this week in the San Antonio River<\/a> is being remembered as an outstanding person.<\/p>\n

San Antonio police officers were called on Monday morning to the River Walk near Villita and Nueva streets, where a man\u2019s body was found.<\/p>\n

The Bexar County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office later identified him as Zion Cook, 21.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Family members) are taking it pretty tough. It\u2019s a shock,\u201d George Cook, Zion Cook\u2019s great-uncle, told KSAT on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n

George Cook said the family is still coping with the loss of someone who they believe had a bright future.<\/p>\n

Zion Cook was a Roosevelt High School graduate and had recently been working toward becoming an architect.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just recently graduated from (San Antonio College), and he just finished his semester at Texas Tech,\u201d his great-uncle said.<\/p>\n

George Cook described Zion as someone who was \u201cfun to be around\u201d and eager to help other people.<\/p>\n

Demonte Alexander, who had served as a mentor to Zion Cook, called him \u201cexceptional.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a very, very good kid,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cGreat head on his shoulders, and was looking forward to a very, very promising career.\u201d <\/p>\n

Alexander, who previously appeared on KSAT\u2019s election night power panel, got to know Zion Cook as a 2022 recipient of a scholarship offered by his Blackbird Golf organization.<\/p>\n

He said Zion Cook would often ask for his advice on how to best use the scholarship money and what next steps to take toward his career.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of times when you graduate, you don\u2019t have experience, so you try to work an internship somewhere in the architectural space,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cHe always took initiative. He was always the one calling me, asking me questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Family and friends are now left with their own questions.<\/p>\n

The Bexar County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office, so far, has not determined the cause or manner of Zion Cook\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

SAPD confirmed Thursday morning that he was the subject of a missing person report filed by relatives on June 28.<\/p>\n

Police said the case, which was listed in a police report as a \u201csudden death,\u201d is still under investigation.<\/p>\n

George Cook told KSAT he did not know the circumstances surrounding Zion Cook\u2019s disappearance or what led other family members to file the missing person\u2019s report.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had no idea why he was downtown,\u201d George Cook said. \u201cI\u2019m just waiting for some answers.\u201d<\/p>\n

More coverage of this story on KSAT:<\/b><\/p>\n