BOSTON, Dec. 14, 2016—The youth whose body was discovered Friday in the Belle Isle Marsh has been positively identified as a 16-year-old East Boston boy, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

Family members late Monday identified the youth, whom relatives reported missing on Nov. 13. Because the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not yet ruled on the cause or manner of his death, however, authorities are not releasing his name. 

Passersby spotted the teen’s body in the vicinity of the reservation’s Bennington Street entrance on the evening of Dec. 9 and notified authorities.  Because the area is State property maintained by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the investigation into the facts and circumstances surrounding the death is being led by State Police detectives assigned to Conley’s office; they were assisted at the scene by the Crime Scene Services Section and other State Police assets.

While visitors to the reservation are advised to remain alert and aware of their surroundings, authorities said the young man’s death does not appear to be connected with random violence or an ongoing threat to public safety. Nonetheless, anyone with information is asked to contact the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit at 617-727-8817.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.