STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

NEWS RELEASE

CASE#: 20A302523

RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME: Detective Sergeant Benjamin D. Katz

STATION: Middlesex

CONTACT#: 802-878-7111

DATE/TIME: 6:26 p.m. Friday, 6/19/20

INCIDENT LOCATION: Winooski River, Middlesex, VT

INCIDENT: Death investigation

SUMMARY OF INCIDENT:

Vermont State Police investigators are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying a woman whose body was discovered last week in the Winooski River in Middlesex.

The deceased is a white woman standing about 5 feet 3 inches tall, weighing 206 pounds, and between 30-50 years old. She has tattoos of the names “Sue” and “Patty” on her left forearm, along with other tattoos on her body including a red and blue butterfly, a pink and yellow five-petal flower on her right foot with leaves going up her ankle, and two roses on her right wrist. She was wearing a large ring on her right index finger with a carved face and headdress.

The body was located near 31 Welch Park Dr. in Middlesex, near the confluence of the Mad and Winooski rivers. Police do not believe the woman is someone who has previously been reported missing.

The cause of death is pending, along with testing that includes examining dental records and DNA in an attempt to identify the individual. It is unclear how long the woman had been deceased at the time the body was found.

Police ask that anyone who might have information about the woman’s identity or the circumstances of this incident call the Middlesex Barracks at 802-229-9191.

***Update, 12:20 p.m. Monday, June 22, 2020***

Investigation is continuing into the human remains discovered in the Winooski River, including seeking dental records and other testing at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington in an attempt to identify the individual. This work is expected to take anywhere between several days to several weeks. Updates will be provided when more information becomes available.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Vermont State Police in Middlesex at 802-229-9191.

***Initial news release, 4:40 p.m. Saturday, June 20, 2020***

On Friday June 19^th 2020 at approximately 1826 hours, two individuals notified the Vermont State Police and advised that they believed they observed a dead body in the Winooski River in Middlesex, VT. Numerous Troopers from the Uniform Division responded to the scene and determined that due to the difficult location of the body, removal would be the following morning. Troopers stayed through the night to protect the scene. On Saturday June 20^th, members from the State Police Scuba Team along with a Detective from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and an assistant medical examiner responded to the scene and removed and examined the body. An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday June 21^st at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

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