The circumstances surrounding the death of a person recovered from Horseshoe Pond in Concord over the holiday weekend remains under investigation.
New Hampshire Marine Patrol received a call on Fourth of July from Concord police reporting that two paddlers came across a body while in an area near the lily pads. The police department received the initial call at about 8:24 a.m.
Marine Patrol Captain Tim Dunleavy said by phone Wednesday that the body was discovered in the pond off North State Street behind Boutwell’s Bowling Center and Dallas Pizza, which neighbor Concord Fire Department’s central station.
“The body was recovered and brought to the New Hampshire Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy,” Dunleavy said. “The identify of the person is still being withheld, pending confirmation of next of kin notification.”
Dunleavy said he had not yet received the medical examiner’s report with the cause and manner of death, but would release more information when it became available.
Interim Concord Fire Chief Guy Newbury said the department assisted Marine Patrol with recovery efforts at the pond Saturday morning. Marine Patrol investigates all boating accidents and drownings but routinely partners with local agencies on these calls.
The call from Horseshoe Pond came in hours before rescue crews responded to Pebble Beach in Canterbury, where it was reported that a toddler, teenager and man were in distress in the Merrimack River. A Tilton family recreating in the area pulled the three people out of the water before first responders arrived and were performing CPR on the man, who remains hospitalized after a near-drowning.
Authorities said this week that the region’s rivers and streams have been particularly busy in recent weeks because many municipal pools have not reopened due to Covid-19 restrictions. On Saturday, fire officials reported that dozens of cars lined Depot Street on the Boscawen side of the Merrimack River.
In late May, two adults drowned in the river along Pebble Beach, the same area where rescue crews responded to on the evening of Fourth of July.