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    Local News
    Monday, April 29, 2024

    Body of missing Westerly man found in Pawcatuck river

    Westerly ― The body of a 40-year-old man who fell into the Pawcatuck River Sunday night has been recovered, Westerly Police Chief Paul Gingerella said on Monday.

    Police were dispatched at 7:10 p.m. for a report of a man, later identified as resident Matthew Brouillette, who had fallen into the river behind 107 Main St., which is across from McQuade’s Marketplace. A public boat launch is next door.

    A rescue effort by Westerly and Pawcatuck firefighters included a search of the riverbanks, with air support from the U.S. Coast Guard and the launching of a drone with thermal capabilities supplied by the Town of Charlestown.

    Gingerella said search units were cleared at 10 p.m. and the “rescue mission then turned into a recovery one.”

    At approximately 8:30 a.m. Monday, Brouillette’s body was found with the help of an underwater drone and the volunteer Rhode Island Canine Search and Rescue team. The body was turned over to the Rhode Island Medical Examiner.

    Gingerella said there is no suspicious aspect to Brouillette’s death.

    Other agencies that assisted with the search included the Charlestown Ambulance-Rescue Service, Dunns Corners Fire Department, members of the Union Fire District and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

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