April 7, 2010

Body Tentatively Identified as Zika ’11 Is Recovered From Cayuga Lake

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A body tentatively identified as Matthew Zika ’11 was found by a fisherman in Cayuga Lake Wednesday afternoon, according to the Ithaca Police Department.

The body was recovered from the water using the Ithaca Fire Department’s rescue and recovery equipment, and was then taken to the Cayuga Medical Center.

An autopsy will be conducted Thursday to confirm the identity of the body, according to the IPD.

Zika jumped from the suspension bridge over Fall Creek Gorge on Mar. 12, according to the IPD and the Tompkins County chief medical examiner.

Police and fire department recovery efforts, which included the use of search helicopters, underwater cameras and sonar, failed to locate his body. The search was scaled back last week as officials waited for water levels to recede.  The fisherman who found Zika’s apparent remains was fishing north of Stewart Park around noon, according to the IPD.

Thursday’s autopsy will be conducted at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamtom, where dental and medical records will be used to confirm the body’s identity, the IPD said.

Original Author: Michael Linhorst