NISKAYUNA — The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office has identified the body found in the Mohawk River on Thursday as that of 63-year-old Gary Clemons, who had been reported missing since Monday. The discovery was made near Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, prompting a joint response from local police and fire agencies.
According to authorities, a call was received at 6:36 p.m. on Thursday reporting a possible human body floating in the Mohawk River. Subsequently, emergency personnel recovered the body and initiated an investigation. The Sheriff’s Office, in a press release issued on Friday afternoon, stated that no evidence of foul play has been found so far, although an autopsy is pending.
Gary Clemons was reported missing on Wednesday after he had not been seen since Monday, May 22. His vehicle was found abandoned on Thursday in the vicinity of the Schenectady Yacht Club, close to where his boat was docked.
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Pat Rotchford, a fisherman from Colonie, posted on social media that he and his son stumbled upon the body while boating on the Mohawk River. Rotchford did not provide further comments for this article, but he mentioned in the comments section that he noticed something floating in the water without seeing the person’s face.
This incident marks the fourth time in four months that a body has been discovered in the Mohawk River area. In late February, the body of missing Schenectady teenager Samantha Humphrey was found in Schenectady. Then, in early April, the body of Kevin White, a missing Canajoharie man, was discovered near Lions Park in Niskayuna. Just three weeks later, the body of another missing individual, Ryan Liszewski from Scotia, was found near Alplaus. Clemons’ body has become the latest addition to this unfortunate series of incidents.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Gary Clemons’ death. As more information becomes available, the community awaits the results of the pending autopsy to shed light on the cause of his untimely demise.
