Divers, Ages 75 And 78, Identified After MA Drowning

ROCKPORT, MA — Two divers who apparently drowned off the coast of Rockport Wednesday have been identified, officials with the Rockport Police Department and the Office of Essex District Attorney announced Thursday.

Police were called to Front Beach at around 11:05 a.m. Wednesday for a call of a diver—identified as Alan De Oliveira Leao, 75, from Pepperell—in "medical distress," police said in a news release.

Bystanders, police, and ambulance personnel worked together to give Leao emergency care before he was taken to the hospital, where he died, according to police.

A few hours later, at around 3 p.m., investigators determined that a second diver—Richard Brady, 78, of Hampton, New Hampshire—was unaccounted for.

Several teams, including those from the Rockport Police and Fire Departments, Massachusetts State Police, and the U.S. Coast Guard, joined together to assist with the search before finding Brady dead in the ocean off of Front Beach.

"There does not appear to be any signs of foul play in the deaths, but they remain under investigation by Rockport Police and the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the District Attorney’s Office," police said in the news release.

"This is a tragedy for the two families who have lost their loved ones," Rockport Police Chief Horvath wrote in the release. "We grieve with both families and send our deepest condolences."