David Bird found- Missing Wall Street Journal reporter, David Bird who had been missing since Jan. 2014 was found. On Thursday, March 19, the remains was positively identified belonging to the 55-year-old reporter, who was last seen taking a walk near his home in Long Hill Township, Morris County.
According to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, two canoers had spotted a red jacket in the branches in the river on Wednesday.
They immediately reported it to the Bernards Township Police Department. A body was located by the authorities and the next day, the search for the WSJ reporter was over. Remains were of David Bird, found in Passaic River.
"The Bird family would like to thank the many members of law enforcement...for their tireless efforts to find David," Carolyn Buscarino, family spokesperson mentioned in a statement. "They would also like to thank the countless friends, neighbors and strangers who have prayed for David."
Although it took 14 months before David Bird, found, it was a relief for the family to finally locate Bird.
As reported by Syracuse, a family website of the Bird's told that the reported was last seen after he helped relatives removed Christmas decorations. He was taking a walk near his home in Long Hill, New Jersey around 4 p.m. of Jan. 11, 2014.
However, something happened and he was not able to go back home. It was also cited that he wore a red raincoat during the day he was last seen.
Since then continuous search was done for David Bird. Found in the Passaic River after more than a year, dental records were used by the medical examiners, Dr. Carlos A Fonseca of the Morris County Medical Examiner's Office, and forensic odontologist Mitchell M. Kirshbaum to identify the body of the reporter.
It is not yet clear what was the manner and cause of his death, the Huffington Post reports.
According to David Bird's wife, the reporter may have gone walking into the Hicks Tract, with hiking and walking paths. It was also mentioned that David Bird, found was a liver transplant recipient, and that he didn't have a medicine with him the time he left for walking.
Long before David Bird, found, massive search was done by the authorities and the New Jersey community. Hundreds of volunteers and neighbors scorched the fields, Passaic river banks and even knocked on neighbors to find Bird.
The Dow Jones and Co. owner where Bird worked even offered a $10,000 reward for anyone who can give information on David Bird location and discovery.
On the Find David Bird website, the Editor-in-Chief of the Wall Street Journal Gerard Baker expressed their sadness after David Bird, found dead. It was mentioned that David Bird was a longstanding and valued member of the Dow Jones Newsroom and they were deeply saddened to learn his death.
Funeral arrangements for David Bird are not yet finalized. With the family grieving, they request their privacy at the moment.
After David Bird, found dead, a lot of sympathizers poured their sad emotions on Twitter:
So sad: The body of the missing WSJ reporter David Bird has been found https://t.co/DHaSm6kz9x
— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) March 19, 2015
Please keep the family of my neighbor, David Bird, in mind today as his body has been found 14 months after he went missing. Rest in peace
