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A body was recovered Tuesday from the water near Central Wharf at Salem Maritime National Historic Site, and the investigation is ongoing, Salem police said.
Police were notified at 9:40 a.m., the department said. In a 4:30 p.m. update, police said detectives assigned to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office had joined the investigation, describing their involvement as standard procedure in such cases.
“In these situations, we avoid jumping to conclusions, but preserve whatever evidence we have in the event the case turns criminal in nature,” the department said.
Police said little information was available and that they would release more when appropriate.
The confirmation came hours after officers taped off a stretch of the adjacent floating dock, part of the same waterfront complex, and worked the scene alongside firefighters and an Atlantic Ambulance crew. Witnesses in the area said earlier Tuesday that they believed a body had been pulled from the water, an account police did not confirm at the time.
Marked and unmarked police vehicles lined the harborwalk path above the water, one with its door open and lights on. The ambulance, marked for advanced life support, was parked nearby with its lights flashing.
Several men in plain clothes, with badges on lanyards around their necks, stood near the dock among the uniformed officers. Salem police would not say who they were or what agency they represented.
National Park Service rangers were also on scene. A ranger approached by a reporter would not describe what had happened, saying only that information would come from Salem police.
