Police are investigating after a body was found in a marsh off the Plum Island Turnpike in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on Wednesday afternoon.
The body had no obvious signs of trauma and has not been identified yet. Foul play is not suspected.
Newburyport Police said they received a 911 call around 4 p.m. Wednesday from a resident reporting that there might be a body in the marsh area near 7 Plum Island Turnpike. Police responded and found the body of a deceased male. A state police detective assigned to the Essex County District Attorney's office also responded to the scene, as is standard protocal for any unattended death investigation.
A preliminary investigation was conducted and the body was recovered and taken to the medical examiner's office in Boston.
Newburyport Police were able to recover fingerprints from the body, but no immediate identification was made. Few details are available because of the condition of the body, but police said the man appeared to have been about 5'7" or 5'8" tall.
Police said the discovery is being treated as a criminal investigation until it can be proven otherwise, but they have no reason to believe that there is any danger to public safety at this time.
State and local police are reviewing reports of missing persons in the area. Anyone with information about this case or area missing persons fitting the description is asked to contact Newburyport Police at 978-462-4411.
