Authorities identify body pulled from southeast Ohio river as man missing since March

4/22/2014

ATHENS, Ohio — A body pulled from a southeast Ohio river has been identified as that of a man missing for more than a month.

Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle says in a statement that the body has been confirmed to be 21-year-old Sam Wiater. He says the man’s family has been notified, but no other information was released immediately Tuesday.

Two boaters found the body Monday in the Hocking River. Wiater went missing from his Athens apartment March 13. Police had reason to believe he had committed suicide in the Hocking River, but previous searches turned up nothing.

Foul play is not suspected.

The river runs through the campus of Ohio University but Wiater — whose family lives in the Columbus suburb of Pickerington — was not a student.