cryptogon.com

Lachlan Cranswick, 41, vanished five months ago in a case that confounded police and the community and yielded few clues to his whereabouts. Police pulled a body from the Ottawa River near the town of Deep River on Friday.

Cranswick’s friend Chris Knight said police have already told Cranswick’s family in his native Australia that they believe the body is his.

“I heard from his family that the police had told them that the clothes and some identification on the body were Lachlan’s,” said Knight.

“They still had to do the forensics and autopsy to confirm but it’s virtually certain that it’s Lachlan that they found,” he said.

Police have not officially identified the body.
Vanished without a trace

Knight said the community would wait until the body has been officially identified before holding a memorial. He said Cranswick’s family plans to have him cremated and flown home.

Cranswick’s role as a scientist at the Chalk River facility led to speculation and international attention after he disappeared, but police said there was no evidence suggesting foul play.

But the disappearance was strange: Cranswick vanished after taking out the garbage not long after finishing work on Jan. 18. His car was still in his garage and his wallet and personal belongings were in his unlocked house.

Knight said he thinks that whatever happened was likely an accident.