A body was pulled from the waters of the Merrimack River on Wednesday evening, as confirmed by the Office of Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker. The Lawrence Police Department reportedly received a call at about 6:35 p.m. from a resident at the 50 Island Street Apartments who spotted what appeared to be someone being swept away by the river's current, according to a statement from the DA's office.
Following the call to police, the North Andover Fire Department acted quickly to launch a boat and was able to locate and recover the man's body near the Amazon facility in North Andover by approximately 7:21 p.m. Despite the swift action to recover, it was immediately evident that the individual had passed away. The recovery took place specifically in the Haverhill area of the river. The identity of the man has not been released pending further investigation.
Investigation into the incident has been taken over by the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to DA Tucker's office. As it stands, the cause and manner of death have been left undetermined, though an autopsy by the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will seek to clarify these details.
No additional information regarding the circumstances that led to the man’s death or potential identities has been made publicly available at this time. Authorities have provided no updates on whether foul play is suspected. The investigation is ongoing and more information is expected to be released once it becomes available.
