Body Of Missing Man, Reporter's Brother, Found By Hiker: Police

MIDDLETOWN, CT — A body found by a hiker in Wallingford is believed to be Peter Recchia, who has been missing from Middletown since Oct. 3, 2019, Middletown police said in an update Tuesday. The hiker found the remains of a body on South Cherry Street in Wallingford on Sunday, March 8. He is the brother of News12 Connecticut reporter Frank Recchia.

Lt. Heather Desmond announced with a “heavy heart” that the personal property around the body belonged to Recchia. She said the items were “conclusive enough to determine that it was Peter Recchia who was found.”

“Middletown police detectives spoke with Peter’s family yesterday and let them know that Peter’s body was located,” Desmond said in a statement. “We have been working closely with Peter’s family since his disappearance. Our thoughts and prayers got out to Peter’s family as they process the loss of their family member.”

The Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to confirm that identity of the body found is Recchia, according to Desmond.

“We want to thank everyone who assisted the Middletown Police Department in searching for Peter Recchia, officers and civilians put in many hours trying to locate Peter, thank you for your efforts,” Desmond said.

The hiker found the clothed skeletal remains of an adult while walking in the woods adjacent to the Quinnipiac River north of Toelles Road in Wallingford, according to the Meriden Record-Journal.

Recchia, 59, was reported missing from Middletown on Oct. 2 and was last seen on State Street in New Haven at 4:56 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3. It is believed that he walked from Durham around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2 through to Hamden in the State Street area and continued into New Haven. He had entered a home on State Street in Hamden around 4 a.m. on Oct. 3. The resident, who reported the incident to police, found him downstairs in the kitchen and they talked before he left.

Police then found Recchia walking on State Street and the officer determined that he wasn't a danger to himself or others and was told he could leave, officials said at the time. The officer conducted a computer check at the scene and there were no active warrants for Recchia and the Silver Alert hadn't been issued yet, police said.

Bunny Rodriguez, Recchia's daughter, and her uncle Frank Recchia worked tirelessly in their efforts to find him. Rodriguez created a Facebook page Help Us Find Bunny Rodriguez's Dad, Peter Recchia "Pop-Pop" to assist with the search. She also held press conferences with Frank Recchia and made appearances on radio shows.

In a press conference Tuesday afternoon in Bridgeport, Frank Recchia said that a hunter came across his brother’s skeletal remains around 5:30 p.m. Sunday and brought his family’s “nightmare to a close.” Recchia said the exact cause of death may never be known and police have ruled out foul play.

Looking back on their childhood, Recchia said that Peter, who was nine years older than him, was always kind but was always different. He said he wished there was a better awareness of mental illness back then.

“I wish there were a culture of openness about mental illness because Peter was wonderful,” Frank Recchia said.

He said that his brother made it his mission to save souls through Jesus and he’s grateful to his brother for bringing him closer to his niece, Bunny.

Recchia also said that losing his brother has been a nightmare and he accepted that he was dead a “while back.”

Rodriguez said that she felt a sense of relief when she first found out that her father had been found. She said that it gave her peace that he was on a mission and almost got back home.