Investigation underway after body recovered from Woonsocket river

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Authorities are working to determine the circumstances surrounding a death after a body was recovered from the Blackstone River in Woonsocket on Wednesday.

Emergency crews were dispatched shortly after 12:30 p.m. to the area of the South Main Street Bridge after a caller reported what appeared to be a person in the water.

Responding officers located the body lodged against vegetation along the river’s edge. Firefighters from both the Woonsocket and Cumberland fire departments assisted with the recovery operation.

After the body was removed from the river, it was turned over to the Rhode Island Office of the State Medical Examiners, which is expected to determine the person’s identity and cause of death.

Officials have not released the identity of the deceased or indicated what led to the person being found in the river. The investigation remains active, and no additional information has been released.