Dead Body Found in Charles Identified

The dead body found Monday under Eliot Bridge on the Allston side of the Charles River has been identified as a missing 31-year-old Waltham man, according to Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.

The name of the individual has not yet been released.

Initial attempts to ascertain the body’s age, race, and gender proved fruitless because of its advanced state of decomposition, according to Wark, but the body was ultimately identified through dental records.

An autopsy was performed yesterday to gain more information, including the cause of death.

The district attorney’s office suspects no foul play at this time, as the individual had a history of mental illness.

“The deceased had tried to commit suicide in a similar manner before,” Wark said.

In the aftermath of the discovery, police sent out a teletype to other police departments in the area, and the Waltham Police Department responded that they were still searching for a man who had been reported missing several months ago.

Wark sad that the body had likely been in the water for the entire time that he had been missing.

“Sadly, it is not uncommon for a body that may have been in the water through the winter to suddenly come to the surface in the spring after warmer temperatures,” he said, “It appears that may have been the case with this individual.”

At approximately 1 p.m. Monday, a jogger observed what he believed to be a dead body near Eliot Bridge, which connects Cambridge to Allston.

The jogger reported the discovery to Massachusetts State troopers in the Brighton Barracks, who later confirmed the finding.

Because the body was found near Allston, the case falls under the jurisdiction of the Suffolk County DA’s office, according to Wark.

—Staff writer Emily J. Hogan can be reached at ejhogan@fas.harvard.edu.