Peter Degan, 69, of Rockland, Massachusetts, was confirmed as the victim by Middlesex (Massachusetts) District Attorney Marian Ryan and Shirley Police Chief Samuel Santiago after investigators recovered multiple body parts.
The body had been severed with a sharp instrument, and police believe he died of foul play. Investigators do not believe the killing was random.
The discovery happened around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5, near the Maritime Veterans Memorial Bridge on Shaker Road.
A group of kids was walking near the Maritime Veterans Memorial Bridge when they spotted what appeared to be a human leg in the water and alerted police. Authorities later found several other body parts during a search of the waterway.
Each part had been cut with a "sharp force instrument," Ryan said during a press conference.
Police identified Degan through his fingerprints.
Degan pled guilty in February 2019 to trafficking and distributing cocaine in a Suffolk County case, the prosecutor's office said. Police found more than four pounds of cocaine at his Winthrop home along with $725,000 in cash.
Authorities released him from prison on February 6, and he was living at a pre-release center in Rockland, his last known address.
Authorities said Degan was last seen in Rockland on Feb. 27.
The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is urged to contact police.
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