Body found in St. Lawrence River linked to migrant deaths

MONTREAL — A body found this month in the St. Lawrence River belonged to a man connected to an investigation into the deaths of eight migrants, Canadian authorities said Friday.

Akwesasne police said the coroner’s office identified the dead man as Casey Oakes, 30, a local resident who had been missing since March.

His boat was found near the bodies of eight migrants who died while trying to cross illegally into the United States through Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, which straddles provincial and international boundaries and includes parts of Quebec, Ontario and New York state.

The bodies of the migrants were pulled from the St. Lawrence River in Akwesasne, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Montreal, on March 30 and 31.

Authorities said they were members of two families, one from India and the other from Romania.

Akwesasne Mohawk Territory is known for being a transit point for the trafficking of contraband and the smuggling of people because of its location.