Body of student found in N.Y. river
NEW YORK (AP) – The body of a college student who disappeared in April during a visit to New York City was found in the Hudson River. Authorities did not yet know if his death was accidental or a homicide. Patrick M. Welsh, 22, was last seen April 15 when he took a train from Harrisburg to New York. He used his cell phone the night he arrived, but was never heard from again.
Welsh, of Sykesville, Md., attended York College in Pennsylvania.
His body was found last Thursday off Manhattan. Police said he was identified by dental records.
Authorities have not determined a cause of death and autopsy results are pending, police spokeswoman Jennifer Everleth said. The autopsy would determine whether police handle the case as a homicide or an accident, she said.
Three days after Welsh was last heard from, a homeless man used his cell phone, but police had said the man was not considered a suspect in Welsh’s disappearance.
“This really just comes as a tremendous shock,” said Dominic Delli Carpini, a York College professor who taught Welsh. “We were hoping for different news. I guess we were all hoping greatly that he was out there exploring and learning and doing some writing about his experiences.”
York College issued a statement expressing condolences to Welsh’s family.
The family of the homeless man, John Dennis Koppinger, said he had left a message on his own father’s answering machine saying he had found a cell phone and was calling just to say he was OK.
Last month, Maryland State Police posted a message on the Web site of a band, Ratdog, looking for information in Welsh’s disappearance. Friends and family said he was a fan of jam bands.