NEW YORK (AP) - The body of a 20-year-old missing autistic man has been found near water in the Brooklyn community where his disappearance set off weeks of searches.
Brian Gewirtz’s body was found along the shore in the Marine Park section Thursday. Searches began after he went missing from his nearby home Feb. 17.
Police said the city medical examiner’s office would determine the cause of death.
Donnell Nichols, who organized large-scale searches with help from community groups and law enforcement authorities, said it was believed Gewirtz had been dead for some time. Nichols said Gewirtz, an Eagle scout, likely suffered from frigid temperatures in February after wandering into the grounds of a golf course that is closed in the winter.
Nichols said hundreds of people had joined the search.
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