Missing CDC Employee Drowned; No Foul Play Suspected

ATLANTA, GA — Atlanta police and fire officials have released new details about the discovery of a body that's been identified as the missing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher reported missing nearly two months ago.

The Atlanta Police Department said the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the body found late Tuesday as Atlanta resident Dr. Timothy Cunningham. Cunningham, 35, was last heard from around 7 a.m. Feb. 12 when he called in sick to his job at the CDC.

Atlanta police held a press conference Tuesday at its headquarters to unveil the news. Fulton County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jan Gorniak said Dr. Cunningham's body was positively identified through dental records. The cause of his death has been determined as drowning. However, Dr. Gorniak said the manner of death — whether it was accidental or intentional — has not been determined, as her office is waiting on tests results to confirm the initial findings. She also noted that Dr. Cunningham's body did not show any signs of natural diseases, and an examination of his body did not yield any signs of trauma.

Atlanta Fire-Rescue spokesperson Sgt. Cortez Stafford said Dr. Cunningham's body was found floating face-up in a muddy area along the banks of the Chattahoochee River near Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. Crews were dispatched to the area around 9:30 p.m. April 3 after fishermen in the area made the discovery and called 9-1-1.

Stafford said Atlanta firefighters initially searched the Chattahoochee River from Marietta Boulevard downstream to Hollowell Parkway on Feb. 23, but they did not find any indications that there was a body in the river at that time.

“It's a very difficult terrain, very difficult to access the area where Mr. Cunningham was found,” he said. Atlanta Fire-Rescue crews were unable to recover the body from the banks, but had to go up stream and use a rapid deployment craft to pull Dr. Cunningham's remains to shore, said Fire-Rescue Sgt. Alex Hofsteadter.

Major Michael O 'Connor, the major crimes commander for Atlanta police, said Tuesday's discovery and the body's identification is "obviously a major step in the missing person's investigation."

He also said he believed the case will draw to a close within the next month, as detectives' interviews with the people in Dr. Cunningham's life have not revealed anything questionable happening to the CDC employee.

“At this point we have no indication involving foul play (for) Dr. Cunningham," he said. However, he did say the police department will look into any new information they receive that could change the trajectory of the case.

O'Connor did note that Dr. Cunningham's residence is not far from where his body was found, and that he liked to run. In fact, the doctor was wearing his "favorite" running shoes at the time his body was recovered. Police did say his wallet, keys and identification were all left behind at the time he was reported missing, which O'Connor said was "unusual" in a missing person's case. Investigators also recovered three stones from his pockets, which O'Connor said he liked to collect.

Officials stressed that they are unsure where Dr. Cunningham entered the river. However, Dr. Gorniak did note that while the body was badly decomposed, it appears he may have been in the water as early as the day he was reported missing.

"We may never be able to tell you how he got into the river," O'Connor. "We just don’t have those answers at this time."

Dr. Cunningham, a Morehouse College graduate who earned master's and doctorate degrees from Harvard University, was an epidemic intelligence officer for the DeKalb County-based organization. Working as an epidemic intelligence officer, he has worked on emergencies including Superstorm Sandy and outbreaks of the Ebola and Zika viruses, the family told WSB-TV.

O'Connor stressed that investigators have talked to everyone who was in Dr. Cunningham's life and are "comfortable" with the information they've received so far. At this stage, Atlanta police are waiting on toxicology and other test results from the Medical Examiner's Office. Unless anything changes, O'Connor notes the case "will likely close fairly soon," which he said could be in a month's time.

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Image via Atlanta Police Department