Cops release details on Amagansett body
Divers from the East Hampton Town Police Dept. prepare to head down the beach in Amagansett to recover a body that washed up on shore. (May 22, 2011) Credit: Gordon M. Grant
Remains of a young man found in an East End bay could have been in the water for several weeks or longer, police said Tuesday.
A dog walker spotted the badly decomposed remains in the surf in Amagansett on Sunday and alerted authorities.
The Suffolk County medical examiner on Monday determined the remains belong to a man 20 to 30 years old who was small in stature, East Hampton Town Police Chief Edward Ecker said. The man's race is unknown, but county forensics experts are examining the remains.
The remains, which Ecker described as "skeletal," were missing the head and the lower part of the left leg. Police divers have searched Gardiners Bay but have recovered nothing more.
"It's very decomposed. It's been in the water a long time," Ecker said. Officials think the head and leg fell off the body as it decomposed in the water. "There is no reason to think there was foul play," Ecker said.
There were no signs of broken bones, gunshot wounds or other obvious trauma, he said.
East Hampton police, with the medical examiner's office and county homicide detectives, are reviewing missing-persons files.
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Get ready for sun and fun with NewsdayTV's summer FunBook special! From celebrating America's 250th birthday to a new ride at Adventureland, NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your inside look at Newsday's summer FunBook.
