Massachusetts State Police say body found of woman whose vehicle was found abandoned on highway near bridge

The body of a woman has been located after officials found her car abandoned near a bridge on a Massachusetts highway.

According to Massachusetts State Police, just after 11:15 a.m. today, Massachusetts State Police Troopers located an abandoned vehicle parked in the breakdown lane of Route 95 South, south of the Whittier Bridge in Newburyport. The bridge spans the Merrimack River.

No motorist was located around the vehicle, but Troopers located personal items inside the vehicle that allowed them to identify a person associated with it as a 70-year-old Beverly woman. MSP requested that Beverly Police check the woman’s address; Officers did so and determined that the woman was not there.

MSP and local police patrols, along with the State Police Air Wing, K9 Unit, and Underwater Recovery Unit, as well as Environmental Police, local police Marine assets, and the US Coast Guard responded to the area to search for the woman by land, water, and air.

At approximately 3:15 p.m., Salisbury Police advised State Police that a canoeist in wetlands along the river located a body in the water. The body was recovered by the Coast Guard and transported by boat to the USCG Station-Merrimack River in Newburyport. Troopers from the State Police Detective Unit for Essex County and the State Police Crime Services Section responded to USCG Station-Merrimack River, as did the Medical Examiner’s Office. Investigation by Troopers confirmed that the person recovered was the motorist whose car was found on Route 95 South.

The investigation into the cause and manner of the woman’s death is ongoing. Police stated that her name is not being released at this time.