Body recovered from Great Miami River in Moraine, no signs of foul play

There are no obvious signs of foul play after a man’s body was recovered from the Great Miami River in Moraine Wednesday morning, according to Five Rivers MetroParks.

The man has not been identified at this time.

A citizen reported the body at 8:56 a.m. Wednesday in the 3300 block of East River Road near the Dayton Boat Club, according to Moraine police and fire dispatchers.

“I was on the water and I found a body,” a 911 caller told dispatch.

When asked if the man could be the same person who entered the Great Miami River near West Monument Avenue in Dayton and never resurfaced, Five Rivers MetroParks Chief of Public Safety Mark Hess said it’s possible but can’t be determined at this time.

“It is clear the body had been in the river for a while and the clothing on the body matches that of the man who went into the river on May 16 downtown, so there is reason to believe this is the same man,” Hess said. “However, until investigators from Five Rivers MetroParks, Moraine Police Department and the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office complete their investigations I can’t confirm that.”

Dayton Fire Department crews searched the river for three days, using boats, underwater diver operations, riverbank searches, spotters on area bridges, police canines, thermal imaging, sonar technology, underwater and aerial drones and more. The unidentified man was not found, and the search ended May 18.

A body was reportedly found in the Great Miami River in the 3300 block of East River Road near the Dayton Boat Club in Moraine Wednesday morning, May 29, 2024. MARSHALL GORBY\STAFF

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