Body Found Presumed to be Missing Derry Man

DERRY, NH — Police in Derry believe they have found the remains of a man missing since mid-December, according to a media alert. An off-duty police officer hiking in a wooded area off Rockingham Road this morning discovered the human remains of a body, believed to be the body of John “Jack” Walsh, 63, in the swampy area next to Tributary G Brook.

“The brook passes under Rockingham Road near Bradford Street,” according to Capt. Vern Thomas of the Derry Police Department. “The body, located approximately 200 yards into the wooded area from Rockingham Road, is believed to be that of Mr. Walsh. (An) investigation by Derry police detectives indicated the body had been there for an extended period of time and there were no signs of foul play.”

The body was found at around 11:30 a.m. on March 10, 2017. Walsh was living at the Pleasant Valley Nursing Center and was last seen at the Parkland Medical Center around 1 p.m. on Dec. 13, 2016, walking on Birch Street toward Windham. While he had been known to previously go on long walks, after a few days missing, his family grew nervous, and set up a Facebook site, asking for leads.

Detectives followed up on a number of suspected sightings reported around the state as well as in Massachusetts and Vermont, but none of them panned out.

The body, Thomas noted, has been transported to Concord where the state’s medical examiner will determine an exact cause of death.