Authorities have identified a body found in Boston Harbor at Long Wharf as missing person, Eric Munsell, the 24-year-old North End resident who had not been seen since February 8th. He was a recent Boston University graduate and working as an engineer at General Electric.
A “non-viable male” body was pulled from the harbor on Wednesday April 23rd, according to the Boston Fire Department. The body was sighted in the water by a passerby on the north side of Long Wharf facing Christopher Columbus Park and Commercial Wharf.
Munsell was a Margaret Street resident that went missing after a night out in downtown Boston to celebrate his birthday. Munsell was with friends before being escorted out from Market Lounge on Broad Street.
Video footage near Long Wharf indicated the area was near his last whereabouts and had been the focus of the search, according to Boston Police Lt. Detective Chuck Wilson who spoke at a public safety meeting. Eric’s father also said at a March candlelight vigil that “Eric would come to the water to think.”
Many people have inadvertently fallen into the harbor in and around the Long Wharf waterfront area. In 2010, 25-year-old Eugene Losik also went missing in a similar case and his body was found eight months later in the harbor. Officials have discussed changes to the perimeter chains at Long Wharf that would increase safety especially at night.