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Body of Iraq war veteran found in Merrimack River

E-mail|Link|Comments () July 15, 2009 12:41 PM

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

The body of Iraq war veteran Juan C. Guzman was pulled from the Merrimack River in Lawrence today, almost three days after the boat he was riding in was hit by a smaller boat, sending the father of four overboard.

Lawrence Police Chief John Romero confirmed that Guzman's body was found at 10:35 a.m. after an exhaustive search by divers from the State Police, Lawrence Police Dive Team, and other area authorities. Guzman's wife, Alcione Souza, had sat vigil near the banks of the river throughout the search and was there today when her husband's body was found.

Witnesses told police in the moments following the collision that an approximately 13-foot boat had been buzzing around the 22-foot boat on which Guzman and about 10 family members and friends were riding. Several people on the larger boat had yelled out at the driver of the smaller boat to stop, but to no avail, they told police.

Guzman, 29, had just taken off his life vest when the crash occurred and was apparently unconscious when he was thrown from the larger vessel, having hit his head on the boat. He fell in about 150 yards north of a boat launch near Phillip Riley Park. His body was found approximately 300 yards north of the boat launch by a submersible craft equipped with a camera, provided by the Quincy Police Department.

Witnesses told police that there were three people -- two males and a female -- aboard the smaller boat and that, immediately after the collision, they swam to shore and fled. Authorities launched a criminal investigation on Monday, but as of today they have not positively identified any of the occupants of the smaller vessel. Romero said his department is confident, though, that they will be able to find those individuals.

An autopsy will be preformed on Guzman's body to determine the cause of his death, Romero said.

Guzman emigrated from the Dominican Republic in 1995 and became a certified electrician after graduating from the Greater Lawrence Technical High School in 1999. He served in the National Guard and was deployed to Iraq twice, in 2004 and 2006, according to family members.