WESTERN MASS. — The body of the man who fell out of a canoe in western Massachusetts was recovered on Sunday.
The man’s canoe capsized a week ago. A boater had found the body using sonar and dropped a marker at that location.
The body surfaced on its own later that day and authorities identified the body as a 20-year-old.
Troopers from the State Police Detective Unit for Hampden County and the State Police Crime Scene Services Section responded to the scene to conduct the death investigation.
The victim was located in a section of the pond approximately 50 yards from the point where his canoe capsized.
According to police, officers received a 911 call saying a male canoer had gone underwater and failed to resurface at Hampton Ponds State Park.
Investigation determined that three males were in a canoe that capsized. Two returned to the shoreline, and one of them was transported by Westfield Fire to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being removed from the water by people on the scene.
“On behalf of the Westfield Fire Department and all our partner agencies, I want to express our deepest condolences to this young man’s family,” said Chief Egloff. “This is a very sad day, but I hope they can take some comfort in the knowledge that people from across Western Massachusetts supported the efforts to find their loved one.”
Police marine assets had previously searched that area late last week, encountering low visibility, heavy vegetation, and logs on the pond bottom.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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