Man Who Mysteriously Vanished After Calling 911 Is Found Dead in Marsh

A 24-year-old man who vanished in Massachusetts after leaving a party in a Lyft vehicle has been found dead, authorities say.

The body of Dickson “Joel” De Los Reyes was recovered in a marshland in the city of Revere Friday night, police said.

De Los Reyes was last seen entering a rideshare car at 3:42 a.m. on June 11. Fourteen minutes later, the Lyft ride was terminated and De Los Reyes dialed 911—but the call strangely disconnected, according to the Massachusetts State Police.

Numerous attempts to call the number back and determine the phone’s location were unsuccessful. Police believe the call was made near the American Legion Highway in Revere and that De Los Reyes’ phone was off.

A State Police Air Wing flight crew conducted an aerial search and spotted the 24-year-old in the Rumney Marsh Reservation along Route 107. Divers then retrieved the body shortly after 8:30 p.m. Friday.

Officials said the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner—which looks into “deaths that occur under violent, suspicious, or unexplained circumstances”—will conduct a post-mortem examination of De Los Reyes.

The State Police Detective Unit for Suffolk County is leading an ongoing investigation into the facts and circumstances of the case. Police have not yet said whether they suspect foul play.

“Right now, there isn’t a word of comfort that can console [his parents] because it is a hit that is too hard,” Regino Ortez, De Los Reyes’ friend, told Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra in Spanish. “That, for them right now, is striking, the pain they feel.”