No foul play suspected in Petty Harbour death, police say
Man’s body recovered from water Monday morning
The small community of Petty Harbour-maddox Cove woke Monday to a fleet of police, fire and ambulance vehicles crowded around their scenic docks after a body had been discovered floating in the water.
Police have not released the identity of the deceased, but have said he was 32 years old.
According to people on the scene, he was from Goulds in St. John’s.
RNC Const. Talia Murphy told reporters police received the first call about the incident around 7:30 a.m. Monday.
When officers arrived at the scene they borrowed a local boat to retrieve the man from the water in Petty Harbour. They were aided by a handful of local fishermen. Police say foul play is not suspected in the man’s death, but the investigation is ongoing.
Police spent a few hours examining the scene before most officers cleared out at approximately 10 o’clock.
In their wake was a community abuzz with rumours about what happened to the man.
Several residents who had gathered on the dock spoke with The Telegram.
They expressed a deep sense of sadness that such a young life had come to an end. Some said they’d known the man all his life.
“It’s a sad thing is what it boils down to,” said one man.
“It’s still a shock for this whole community,” said another. The man’s body was discovered near the dock. Several fishermen hanging around the many fishing stages dotting the dock said that once news reports started getting out of a body being pulled from Petty Harbour, they called home to assure their families they were OK.
“It’s sad stuff. Nobody ever wants to see anything like that,” said one man, who added that he’d been present when police pulled the deceased from the water.
Theresa Russell owns a convenience store which is only feet away from the dock.
She had people calling her and coming in to the store all morning talking about the incident.
It’s a strange thing to know that someone’s life ended so close to where you work, she said.
“It’s hard to say. It gives you a funny feeling. It’s not good. It’s a tragedy,” said Russell.
“The first thing you do is you want to find out where all your family is.”