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April 26, 2006

Updated: Body found off Point Judith, spurring search

NARRAGANSETT -- Authorities this morning discovered a body floating about 100 yards off Point Judith.

The male body has yet to be identified.

But the Narragansett police and the state Department of Environmental Management were searching the area for other bodies, as officials wondered whether it may be one of the three University of Rhode Island students who disappeared last month in a small rowboat.

"That's the million-dollar question," Narragansett Police Chief J. David Smith said this morning. "Given the physical evidence available at this time, we can’t make any positive identification."

The body was noticed by a fishing boat at about 8:30 a.m., which contacted the Coast Guard. The body has since been transferred to the medical examiner's office for identification.

There were two boats and a helicopter searching the area this morning. An earlier report incorrectly indicated the Coast Guard was part of the search today.

Daniel P. Donahue, 20, of Glocester; Geoffrey M. Wilkes, 18, of Glocester, and Fandia M. Sod Shloul, 21, of Pawtucket, haven't been seen since 2:30 a.m. on March 13 when they took a small boat into the foggy, near-freezing waters after attending a small party in the Bonnet Shores area of Narragansett.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer Randal Edgar

Posted by Steve Peoples  at 11:41 AM | Permalink

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