Inuvik (May 20/05) - A memorial service is being held Saturday in Aklavik for 21-year-old Marshall Sayers, who drowned Friday after the snowmobile he was driving plunged into the icy Mackenzie River.

Marshall Sayers is described by those who knew him as a good kid.

According to police, early Friday morning Sayers and a friend had been travelling on a stolen snowmobile from the shoreline across 20 feet of open water. Known as "skipping," it was a stunt that turned deadly when the sled began to labour and submerge just before the pair made it to the other side.

The passenger was unharmed. Sayers went under with the snowmobile.

Three other friends who were snowmobiling with Sayers witnessed the accident and managed to reach the scene in time to save the passenger.

"He was a good kid. I never saw him have a problem with anybody," said Khalid Ali, owner of the Index store, who has known Sayers for several years.

"I left them and just went home, fell asleep and when I woke up (Friday) morning my mom told me Marshall had passed away," said Waylon Storr, a lifelong friend who left the gathering shortly before the incident occurred.

The snowmobiles had been parked by an unknown person on the river ice with the keys in the ignition.

After police received a call from a passerby who witnessed the incident, members of the Inuvik Search and Rescue and several government agencies in conjunction with the RCMP and fire department met at the boat launch to conduct a search for Sayers.

The search lasted into the late afternoon.

While two divers were on hand, poor visibility in the water and moving ice on the river prevented them from taking part in the search.

Using a grappling hook, rescue workers recovered Sayers' body from 15 feet of water, relatively close to where he went in, according to officials.

Alcohol may have been a factor in the accident, say police, but that won't be known until the coroner's report is submitted.

Due to the traumatic events, police said Friday they wouldn't be laying charges against Sayers' friends who were at the scene.

"The kids learned a valuable lesson here today, I would hope," said Cpl. Merle Carpenter of the Inuvik RCMP.