Body found in river ID'd as Strafford man; police believe it to be suicide

DOVER - Dover Police announced today that the body found floating in the Piscataqua River on Friday is that of a Strafford man thought to have died in an apparent suicide.

Jeffrey St. Laurent, 49, was identified after Dover detectives interviewed family members. Dover police suspected it might be St. Laurent after finding his vehicle at Hilton Park.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy on Saturday and determined his cause of death was drowning. While St. Laurent's manner of death remains under investigation, the incident appears to be a suicide, Dover Police said in a statement sent out this afternoon.

Portsmouth Police were called to investigate after an employee of the Surf restaurant noticed the body drifting in the river a little after 6 p.m. on Friday. It was recovered by recovery teams around 7:30 p.m. near Henderson Point.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Dover Police Department at 603-742-4646. Anonymous tips may be called into the Dover Crimeline at 603-749-6000 or via www.dovernhcrimeline.org.