On Wednesday, April 14, the Chicopee Police Department Underwater Response Team was actively conducting a search of the Chicopee and Connecticut Rivers as part of an ongoing search and recovery operation for missing 12-year-old Aiden Blanchard, said authorities in Massachusetts, in Hampden County.
At 11:15 a.m., officers located a body in the water in between the North End Bridge and Memorial Bridge. The Chicopee Police Detective Bureau and the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the Hampden District Attorney’s Office were called to the scene.
"The victim was transported to the Hampden County Medical Examiner’s Office and has been identified as Aiden Blanchard, 12, of Chicopee," said Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.
A cause of death has not been determined.
He was believed to be headed toward the Medina Street boat launch along the Connecticut River, police said.
Since his disappearance, numerous police agencies have searched for the boy that included divers, boats, drones, and helicopters.
DA Gulluni and the Chicopee Police offered their sympathies to Blanchard’s family.
The investigation is still ongoing.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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