December 16th, 2016 — New Bedford fishermen found a human body as they pulled in their nets early Thursday off Provincetown.
The gender of the body found in the fishing gear was not confirmed, and the state medical examiner has accepted jurisdiction of the case, Cape and Islands Assistant District Attorney Tara Miltimore said.
“The matter remains under investigation,” she said.
Fishermen on the Hera reported at 4:35 a.m. that they had pulled up what they believed was a human body in their nets, state police said Thursday morning. At that time, state police could not confirm if it was a body, state police spokesman David Procopio said.
The Hera went to Provincetown Harbor and a state police detective from the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s office went to the town pier to meet the boat, Procopio said.
There is nothing that has been released publicly to indicate the body is connected to three New Bedford fishermen who disappeared after they left Sandwich marina on Nov. 8 for a fishing trip aboard a 23-foot Wellcraft, Dad Sea Cave, but people posting to social media speculated it could be one of the men.
“Family members are still searching for answers about the three missing fishermen, please be respectful because we do read this,” Jessica Coelho wrote in a Facebook post.