11/26/23 UPDATE: Family and friends of Keith McKechnie tell NBC10 Boston they are devastated by the outcome.
A man who had been missing since early September was found dead inside a well on the property of a home in Avon, Massachusetts, on Saturday.
The Norfolk County District Attorney's Office announced the man's body was retrieved from the well in the East High Street area and later said family members at the scene had identified him as Keith McKechnie.
Massachusetts State Police as well as Avon Police and Fire had been canvassing a heavily-wooded area near the East High Street residence earlier in the day for McKechnie, who hadn't been seen since Sept. 7. The DA said McKechnie was a resident of 34 East High Street, near where he was found Saturday by a relative.
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There were no obvious signs of trauma to his body, the district attorney added, and 45-year-old McKechnie was known to walk the neighborhood.
There was no immediate word on a possible cause of death. An autopsy will be conducted in the coming days.
“Our thoughts are very much with the McKechnie family tonight,” District Attorney Michael Morrissey said in a statement. “This is a very sad result.”
Local
The search efforts Saturday were focused on an old well on the property that had been visually searched before, according to officials.
Regional mutual-aid resources were brought in to recover McKechnie's body from the depths of the well, the DA said, thanking everyone for their cooperation and work on Saturday.
“The Avon Police department and State Police benefitted from a lot of help from the Avon Fire Department and regional mutual-aid to make this extraction happen tonight,” he said.
Authorities have said there is no threat to the public.
