Bethlehem police have identified the body found earlier this week in the Hudson River as David Betterton, 41, of Duchess County, following an autopsy.
Police said Betterton was reported missing to state police in Wappinger Falls on Jan. 19. The investigation determined the decedent became attached to a barge that was coming from New Jersey through the Hudson River channel on April 21, and became unattached while it was docked at the North Albany Port Terminal in Bethlehem.
The autopsy was attended by Bethlehem Police and state police. Cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma and asphyxia due to drowning. Foul play has been ruled out and the investigation has been concluded at this point.
Police originally received a call on Tuesday around 7:15 p.m. from an employee of the North Albany Terminal Company in Glenmont, reporting a body in the Hudson River near their dock.
Upon arrival, Bethlehem Police requested the City of Albany’s Fire Department and Town of Coeymans Fire Department’s Dive and Rescue Team to assist with removing the body from the water. Once removed, police said the body was transported to the Albany Medical Center Hospital morgue by the Albany County Coroner’s Office.
According to police, the body appeared to be of a white male in his 40s and had been in the water for an extended period of time.
