February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Patrick Markey
Police in upstate New York have discovered the remains of an Irish man who went missing four months ago while working as a laborer on a remote camping ground.
A local landowner found Liam Sean Sheehy’s skeletal remains in a wooded area in Long Lake, N.Y., on Sunday, said Capt. Peter Person, a police spokesman.
An autopsy conducted Tuesday in Albany confirmed the identification of the body.
Sheehy, a 23-year-old originally from the Artane area in Dublin, was last seen on July 12 after wandering away from the Whispering Woods campsite about 300 miles from New York City.
Sheehy was working at the campsite as part of a foreign work and travel exchange program.
Never miss an issue of The Irish Echo
Subscribe to one of our great value packages.
Capt. Person said police found no evidence of foul play or criminal activity at the scene where Sheehy’s remains where uncovered.
The cause of Sheehy’s death remains unclear pending further forensic test results.
But investigators recovered a box cutter knife nearby Sheehy’s body and are leaning toward the theory that he may have committed suicide, Capt. Person said.
Sheehy’s wallet was found near his body, but his passport and return ticket to Ireland were left at the campsite.
Sheehy’s remains will be flown back to Ireland this week.