HARTFORD, Conn. — A body discovered in the Connecticut River on May 9 has been identified as Donald Plasse, a 63-year-old Holyoke man who went missing in January.
A boat passing near the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry spotted and reported the body at 12:23 p.m. on May 9, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police, Connecticut State Police and the Lyme and Chester fire departments recovered the body using a Chester Fire Department vessel. There, the body, which had not yet been identified as Plasse, was pronounced dead.
EnCon investigators used existing records to help identify the body as Plasse, who had been reported missing in Massachusetts on Jan. 13 following an incident near the Connecticut River in South Hadley. Massachusetts State Police were contacted and provided records to the State Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, who identified the individual as Plasse, according to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
On Jan. 13, firefighters from South Hadley Fire District 1 responded to the Mueller Bridge behind 34 Canal St. after a person was seen clinging to a sheet of ice in the river. Emergency crews were unable to reach the victim due to challenging conditions.
“On arrival a person could be seen clinging to the ice approximately 150 yards from the shore,” South Hadley District 1 Fire Captain Jason Houle said in a statement released in January. “A rescue was attempted, but the victim went under the water before he could be reached. Efforts were impacted by the river current and ice conditions.”
Days after the Jan. 13 incident, Massachusetts State Police reported that initial recovery efforts were unsuccessful. The statement said that the State Police responded to the scene at the request of the South Hadley and Holyoke police departments after a 911 caller reported seeing a person jump from the bridge and enter the water.
EnCon Police are assisting Massachusetts State Police with their investigation of this incident. “The DEEP [Department of Energy and Environmental Protection] Encon Police extend their condolences to Mr. Plasse’s family and loved ones,” the department wrote.
