A teen from Long Island who disappeared after traveling to New York City two months ago and was last seen on a bridge has been found dead, according to authorities.
The body of Thomas Medlin, 15, was recovered from the waters off Red Hook, Brooklyn, on Saturday, March 7, the Suffolk County Police Department said in a news release . His identity was confirmed days later, on Thursday, March 12.
No additional information about the discovery of his body or the circumstances of his death were provided.
The department previously said that Thomas left Stony Brook School around 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 9 and then “ran” to the Stony Brook Train station.
He seemingly caught a train to Manhattan and was seen at Grand Central station roughly two hours later.
Weeks later, on Jan. 26, the Suffolk County Police Department said that as part of their ongoing investigation, which included “extensive video canvassing and review of digital evidence,” detectives determined that Medlin was last seen on a pedestrian walkway on the Manhattan Bridge on Jan. 9 at 7:06 p.m.
“The last activity on his cell phone was on January 9 at 7:09 p.m. and a nearby surveillance camera captured a splash in the water on January 9 at 7:10 p.m,” police continued, noting that the teen was “never seen leaving the bridge via path exits.”
Eva Yan, Thomas’s mother, previously told Long Island station that disappearing was out of character for her son — and that she believed Thomas had traveled into the city to meet someone he connected with while playing on Roblox, an online gaming program.
However, in their Jan. 26 update, police said they hadn’t found any proof of that.
“Under the issuance of subpoenas and search warrants, an examination so far of multiple social media/online gaming profiles and forensic examination of electronic devices associated with Medlin was conducted,” police said in their statement. “This examination has determined these platforms are not connected to his disappearance.”
Police went on to say that at the time there was “no indication of criminal activity.”
“Detectives have continuously communicated the department’s findings to Medlin’s family,” police said at the time. “The department is continuing to work with its law enforcement partners to bring closure to the family.”