A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention epidemiologist reported missing nearly two months ago was found this week in a river not far from his Atlanta house.
The body of Timothy Cunningham was recovered Tuesday following an intensive search, authorities said. There were no immediate signs of foul play, and the county medical examiner listed drowning as the preliminary cause of death.
Cunningham, 35, an epidemiologist at the Atlanta-based federal agency, disappeared Feb. 12. His family reported him missing four days later after going to his home and finding his belongings and vehicle there.
A spokesperson for the city fire and rescue department said Cunningham’s body had been partially submerged in water and mud on a bank of the Chattahoochee River in northwest Atlanta.
The body was discovered by fishermen, who called authorities. Rescue crews had to use boats and special equipment to reach the decomposing body — positively identified by dental records — because it was in a “remote area not easily accessible,” the spokesperson said.
Authorities searched the same area in February, but did not find anything.