Brian Lopez, of Lynn, who was a rising senior at Lynn Classical High School, was reported missing on Friday. Police had marshaled an aggressive campaign to find him, but all early indications point to the body belonging to Lopez, the Essex County District Attorney's Office said.
The Office of Chief Medical Examiner will make the final identification and cause of death. Police do not believe he was killed and say there is no ongoing threat to the community.
Two fishermen found the body Tuesday morning and contacted police.
Lynn officers had been searching for Lopez in the Lynn Woods Reservation, which was one of Lopez's favorite spots. Police had found his phone discarded miles away from his home.
The last known sighting of Lopez was on a surveillance video taken outside his family's Warren Place home on Friday.
Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker said his office and Lynn police had been in contact with Lopez's family.
“No parent should have to endure the pain of losing a child,” Tucker said in a statement. “This was not the search conclusion anyone wanted, and our hearts are with the Lopez family.”
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