Body found in Passaic River identified as missing reporter
A body found this week in the Passaic River has been identified as David Bird, a former Wall Street Journal reporter from Long Hill who had been missing for more than a year according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.
Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp says two men canoeing on the river late Wednesday afternoon found the body. Bird was identified using dental records by Morris County Medical Examiner Dr. Carlos A Fonseca; an investigation into the cause and manner of death is ongiing.
Bird, 55, left his Millington home during the afternoon of Jan. 11,2014 to go for a walk hasn't been seen since.
The disappearance triggered a search by two dozen agencies, through wooded areas and along railroad tracks near Bird's home and in bodies of water including the Passaic River. He had left home without his cell phone or the medication he needed as a liver transplant recipient.
"The Bird family would like to thank the many members of law enforcement, especially Chief Michael Mazzeo and the Long Hill Township Police Department, for their tireless efforts to find David," said family spokesman Carolyn Buscarino in a statement. "They would also like to thank the countless friends, neighbors and strangers who have prayed for David and for the family over the past 14 months.
Buscarino says the family is asking for privacy from the community and the media; funeral arrangements are not complete.
Bird's family launched a new website Wednesday in hopes of continuing the search. It contained a statement from his wife Nancy, saying, “David’s disappearance has been a long, trying ordeal, and it never gets any easier." Also posted was a $10,000 reward for information leading to his discovery.
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