Body Pulled From Hoosic River Identified
 iBerkshires photo
North Adams emergency responders recover a body from the Hoosic River near Central Radio on Wednesday morning, July 8. |
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The body recovered from the Hoosic River on Wednesday, July 8, has been identified as a missing Connecticut man.
Gregory Hillman, 20, of Darien, Conn., had been missing since escaping an ambulance at North Adams Regional Hospital on Monday, June 29. The cause of death was determined to be drowning.
Hillman had reportedly left a note saying he wanted to commit suicide by drowning. His family, who also lives in North Pownal, Vt., launched a multistate search for the troubled young man. His father, Peter Hillman, Darien's Environmental Protection Commission chairman, told the Darien Times that his son was identified by the Berkshire Medical Center identification band on his wrist and dental records.
An autopsy scheduled for Thursday was delayed and was not expected to be completed until late Friday or Saturday. The district attorney's office released the results early Saturday evening.
Associate Medical Examiner Dr. Loren Mednick determined that the cause of death was drowning. The autopsy was conducted Saturday afternoon at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Holyoke.
Investigators say the death does not appear to be suspicious and foul play is not suspected.
The investigation is being conducted by members of the North Adams Police Department and state police detectives assigned to the District Attorney David F. Capeless' office.
The body was found in the river along Route 2 just east of the Sacco Bridge at about 10 Wednesday morning and was recovered by members of the North Adams Fire Department.
Hillman had been a resident at Gould Farm in Monterey, a mental illness treatment facility. He reportedly was taken to BMC as a suicide risk, then transported to North Adams Regional Hospital's Greylock Pavilion as an involuntary admission for evaluation. Hillman had apparently been taken out of the ambulance and was waiting unrestrained on a stretcher when he fled the hospital.
Hillman's father said the autopsy did not determine when his son drowned but Gregory Hillman had contacted a friend by phone briefly the morning of July 5.
Posted Wednesday, July 8
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Police found a body in the Hoosic River between Central Radio and O'Connell Shell Gas Station this morning.
Public Safety Commissioner E. John Morocco said the body appears to be that of a white man and apparently had been in the river for some time.
The district attorney's office said an autopsy will be conducted Thursday on the body of the unidentified man.
The body was found in the river about 10 this morning and was recovered by members of the North Adams Fire Department. The body was found in the river along Route 2 just east of the Sacco bridge. Dr. Benjamin Glick, an associate medical examiner, ordered that the body be transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Holyoke for an autopsy.
Investigators are waiting for the results of the autopsy and the completion of their investigation before releasing any more information, including the identification of the deceased.
The investigation is being conducted by members of the North Adams Police Department and state police detectives assigned to the district attorney's office.Update Thursday, July 9: The autopsy on the body of a white male recovered from the Hoosic River in North Adams has been delayed. The autopsy was scheduled to be conducted this afternoon, but will not be completed until late Friday or, more likely, sometime Saturday.
