According to Det. Sgt. Tom Foye, police believe there are enough similarities between the case of missing 24-year-old Glenn LaRace Jr. and the man who jumped off the Putts Bridge to raise the eyebrows of investigators.
LUDLOW -- Although the effort to recover the body of a man who witnesses saw jump into the Chicopee River earlier this week were suspended Friday, Ludlow police are looking into similarities between the incident and a missing person reported around the same time.
Det. Sgt. Tom Foye said investigators are looking into similarities between the case of missing 24-year-old Glenn LaRace Jr. and the man who jumped off the Putts Bridge.
"There are certain coincidences and similarities between what we know about the two cases to believe that he may have been the person who jumped off the bridge," Foye said. "But until we have recovered a body and it is positively identified by the family, we won't draw that conclusion."
Foye said that a day before being reported missing, LaRace was transported to a local hospital with reported mental health distress. The detective also said that before LaRace left his home, he left a note indicating how he wanted family members to handle his body when it was found.
"We've taken statements from witnesses and people who tired to rescue him from the water but were unable to do so," Foye said. "The physical descriptions are quite similar."
Around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, at least four citizens reported seeing a man leap from the east side of the Putts Bridge that connects Indian Orchard to Ludlow. A short time later, considering the water temperature and the ferocity of the water flow, officials said the rescue operation turned into a recovery effort.
Each day since the initial report, rescue agencies including the Massachusetts State Police using sonar equipment and divers have searched for the man to no avail. The ice on the river has complicated the search as well, according to police.
Fire officials released a statement Friday afternoon saying the department will "continue to implement a periodic water search by ground" and work to assist the state police Underwater Recovery Unit as needed.
Anyone with information about LaRace's disappearance, or who may have witnessed the incident on the bridge, is asked to call police with details at 413-583-8305. Callers should ask to speak to a detective or shift commander.