Body found in creek believed to be Nicholas Garza's

MIDDLEBURY, Vt.—A body believed to be that of missing collegian Nicholas Garza was pulled from the Otter Creek on Tuesday, police said.

The badly-decomposed body of an unidentified male was found among sunken timber in a floating debris pile below a waterfall as authorities prepared to mount another search this weekend. Searchers were taking temperature readings in the river and performing depth soundings when the remains were found, according to Police Chief Tom Hanley.

"They do appear to be the remains of Nicholas Garza, but identification will be made at an autopsy tomorrow," said Hanley.

A wallet found on the body belonged to Garza, police said.

"It was Nick," said his mother, Natalie Garza, who was there when the body was removed.

Garza, 19, of Albuquerque, N.M., a freshman at Middlebury College, vanished Feb. 5 after leaving Stewart Hall dormitory during a winter break in classes, headed for his dormitory. He was reported missing five days later.

More than a half-dozen searches since then by Vermont State Police, search-and-rescue teams from around the region and volunteers organized by his mother turned up nothing.

His wallet and cell phone have never been found, even though police found a winter jacket and laptop computer in his dormitory room.

Some here believed the melting of snow at winter's end would yield clues or a body, but it didn't, nor did several searches of Otter Creek, including one last month after aerial imaging showed an unidentified object in the water.

Mrs. Garza had been living on the Middlebury College campus since shortly after the disappearance and enrolled her 9-year-old son in school here.

"The remains have been in the water for a long time. They are not in good shape," said Hanley.

The autopsy is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday at the office of the chief medical examiner in Burlington, he said.

"I have shared my deepest sympathies with Nicks mother Natalie, and let her know that the thoughts and prayers of the entire Middlebury community are with her, the Garza family, and with Nicks many friends," said Middlebury College President Ronald D. Liebowitz.

A "gathering in remembrance" of Garza is being planned, he said.

"May the unity that comes from the terrible sadness we all feel at this time be a source of comfort and strength for the Garza family," said Liebowitz.

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On the Web:

Nicholas Garza family web site: http://www.nicholasgarza.org.

Middlebury Police: http://www.middleburypolice.org