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Illinois father dies along same stretch of river that killed his sons

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NEW BOSTON, Ill. - Friends and family are mourning an Illinois father who died in the same river that killed both of his sons, according to WQAD.

Jesse Bullock lost his life Thursday morning when his truck went off the road, landing in the Edwards River.

"He was just a nice fella, you know, he's a family guy," said his friend John Kokos.

The Edwards river has already been the scene of family tragedy, it's the same place where his sons Nic and Jess drowned just four years ago.

"The vehicle was in the stream, actually in the stream bed," said Mercer County Sheriff David Staley. "Ironic, I guess that it happened in the same location."

It was in 2013 when WQAD talked with Jesse about a benefit being held in memory of his sons. Their father recalled some of his fondest memories of the boys, saying, "Chubbas and his hugs, [telling me] 'I love you daddy.' I don't care what we was doing, covered in grease or not. [And] Jesse, I miss his little jokes," Bullock said.

Now, people in New Boston are talking about their own memories of Jesse.

The Mercy County Sheriff's says the cause of the crash and cause of death is still under investigation.