Body found in Riverhead appears to be that of missing man: relatives

A body found yesterday in a densely wooded area of Riverhead is most likely that of a Great Neck man who has been missing for nearly two weeks, relatives said later in the day.

The body was found in Steven Mayer's car deep in the wooded area, his son-in-law, Mark Klinger, said from Mayer's Great Neck home yesterday. Relatives had gathered there to await further news.

"We know that they found his car," said his daughter-in-law, Aliza Mayer, of Passaic, N.J. "We're waiting for confirmation."

Don Zlatniski of Riverhead police said the remains of a white male were discovered yesterday, but he would not say when, where or how the discovery was made.

A person who answered the phone at the Suffolk medical examiner's office in Smithtown said the body would be identified today.

Autopsy results were expected today, Klinger said.

"He probably was disoriented," said Klinger, of Oceanside. "He probably had some big-time medical condition."

Mayer, 65, disappeared while driving to work Oct. 4 as a metals trader in Huntington.

Thousands of volunteers searched for Mayer in Riverhead last week, by land, air and water, after cell phone calls indicated that he might be in the area.