Authorities have tentatively identified the remains of a young man pulled from the Chestnut Hill Reservoir as Franco Garcia, a Boston College student missing since late February, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

Conley stressed that a positive identification has yet to be made and that a comprehensive investigation is undertaken for every sudden or unattended death within his jurisdiction. 

A passerby noticed an object in the water just off the northeast shore shortly before 8:00 this morning. That passerby called 911 from a cell phone and was connected to Massachusetts State Police. State Police deployed their Underwater Recovery Unit, uniformed troopers from the Brighton Barracks, and H Troop investigators to the scene.

State Police also notified Boston Police; the Boston Fire Department; Newton Police, which led the missing person investigation preceding the discovery; the State Police Detective Unit assigned to Conley’s office, which will lead the death investigation; and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which took custody of the remains for an autopsy now expected tomorrow.

Conley thanked those agencies, as well as the Boston College Police Department and community, for their support and assistance as investigators searched without success for Garcia in the aftermath of Feb. 22, when surveillance cameras captured him leaving a Cleveland Circle bar in the early morning. He said a victim-witness advocate from his office has already met with Garcia’s family.

The remains – clearly belonging to a young man and consistent with Garcia’s age, build, and description – were recovered from a spot about 18 feet from the shore. That area was murky and dense with weeds. Divers continued to search that area for evidence after the remains were recovered.

Authorities are not commenting on specific evidence except to say that they hope to determine the facts and circumstances of the fatality and ultimately decide whether criminal charges are warranted.

State Police assigned to Conley’s office have jurisdiction over death investigations in Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop, and state property within the City of Boston, such as the reservoir.