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The body of a young man discovered in the Chestnut Hill Reservoir has been preliminarily identified as that of Franco Garcia, a Woods College of Advancing Studies student at Boston College who had been missing since Feb. 22, Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley said today.
Garcia, 21, a talented clarinetist who performed with the University marching, pep and symphonic bands, was last seen by friends he was with at a bar in the Cleveland Circle neighborhood. Exhaustive searches by police, family and classmates followed in the days and weeks after his disappearance.
The body was discovered today at approximately 8 a.m., according to Conley. The cause of death has not yet been determined.
Fr. Tony Penna, director of Campus Ministry, and Campus Minister Fr. Don MacMillan, S.J., offered prayers at the scene and met with Garcia’s family, with whom the student lived in nearby West Newton.
“The news of today causes deep sadness, and our hearts go out to the
Garcia family and his many friends at Boston College," said University
President William P. Leahy, S.J. "More than ever, we need to remember
them in our prayers."
The University expressed its gratitude to the multiple law enforcement agencies that participated in the seven-week investigation.
“The BC community thanks the Massachusetts State Police, Newton Police, Boston Police and the Boston College Police Department for their professionalism and determined efforts throughout the course of the investigation,” said University Spokesman Jack Dunn.
Officials in University Counseling, Campus Ministry and Residential Life are available to provide counseling services to the BC community. Campus ministers will work with the family regarding a service on campus at an appropriate time in the future.