Skip to main content
BoomMag: Readers and Fans
Advertise With Us

WLT Report WLT Report

Advertise With Us
We may receive compensation from affiliate partners for some links on this site. Read our full Disclosure here.

Body Found in Rochester Reservoir

Government officials in Rochester, New York, recently found the body of a missing person in a reservoir. This reservoir supplies drinking water to residents.

 

CBS News adds the statement from Rochester Mayor Malik Evans:

Mayor Malik Evans said at a press conference that officials discovered the body in the Highland Park Reservoir Tuesday at around 8 a.m.

“Our testing has shown no issues,” Evans said. “…Out of an abundance of caution we have issued a boil water advisory. … The reservoir will not be back in service until it has been drained and cleaned.”

Despite the body’s prolonged exposure to the reservoir, Evans said on Thursday that water quality tests ordered by the county “confirmed the safety of the water supply.” The boil water advisory has also been lifted.

“Our own data collected in the weeks and months prior to that mirrored those findings,” Evans said, saying he drank some of the city’s water this morning. “As I have always touted, the quality of our water wins awards regularly. So our water was never in question.”

This discovery is disturbing to say the least, as the reservoir is supposedly inspected daily. Despite this, the body was found by the Rochester Water Bureau workers in the north side of the reservoir after a month on the missing persons list.

Abdullahi Muya was last seen on February 18th, and was officially reported missing on March 9th.

13 ABC News goes into detail about the missing person:

Evans said Muya entered a gated area at the reservoir Feb. 24 around 6:30 a.m., slid down the side of the reservoir into the water and died. Police said no one else was present and Muya’s death doesn’t appear to be criminal in nature.

Evans said the area is patrolled by cameras, with heat and motion sensors, as well as city security and Water Bureau personnel — but Muya’s body went undetected for 24 days.

“This reservoir is extremely deep — 15 feet deep — and the body was well below the surface,” Evans said. “Reflection waves and shadows at the specific location can obscure the view of the bottom.”

This discovery led to schools being shut down and even forcing a boil advisory to residents.

The advisory was lifted shortly after once the water was tested.

This led to many people show their disgust on X:

While the police have officially ruled the death an accident, somebody should be checking on how the body was able to sit in a regulated area for so long without being noticed, especially in an area that people rely on on a daily basis.


 

Join the conversation!

Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!

log in

Forgot password?

reset password

Back to
log in
Leave a comment
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing!
We invite you to become a WLT Report insider. Sign up for our free email newsletter, and we'll make sure to keep you in the loop.