Body found in river is identified as 14-year-old missing for months, New York cops say
A body pulled from a river in upstate New York belongs to a teenager who had been missing for three months, police said.
Schenectady police confirmed the body belongs to Samantha Humphrey, a 14-year-old girl first reported missing in November, according to a Feb. 27 news release.
Her body was found in the Mohawk River on Feb. 22 close to where Humphrey was last seen months earlier, police told McClatchy News.
“We are devastated to receive the official confirmation of the death of our beloved Samantha,” her family said in a statement provided to CBS 6. “Normal is forever gone.”
Humphrey was last seen in a park near the river shortly before midnight on Nov. 25, according to police. She was wearing a pink jacket and bell bottom jeans.
She had traveled to the park to meet her ex-boyfriend, according to WNYT.
After going to the park, she was never seen again, though her jacket was found near the river, the TV station reported.
Over the ensuing days, an “extremely active” search for Humphrey took place, including an aviation unit, K9 unit and dive team, police said.
The search dragged on into January and December, with a fisherman eventually locating her body along the river’s edge in February, according to the Times Union.
It was discovered inside a submerged shopping cart, according to WNYT.
“This news is disturbing and is deeply affecting all of us,” the Schenectady School Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr. wrote in an open letter following the identification of the body.
“I, along with everyone in our school community, share the sadness and grief surrounding Samantha’s passing,” he added. “Her potential was limitless and she will be greatly missed.”
The investigation of her death is ongoing and additional autopsy results are pending, police said.
Schenectady is located about 20 miles northwest of Albany.
Search on for passengers of vehicle that fell off bridge into Florida river, cops say
Intoxicated 18-year-old intentionally runs over man outside Target, Minnesota cops say
Former US swimming champion dies in Virgin Islands, police say. Investigation underway
