Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun is reporting that a Philadelphia police spokeswoman says that a body found in New Jersey is believed to be that of recent Temple University graduate Roswell Friend. A New Jersey State Police spokesman confirmed that police had found an unidentified male body just off the shore of the Delaware River near Bank Avenue in Riverton Township, N.J.
As of Tuesday morning, Aug. 23, New Jersey police had not confirmed that the body was that of Friend.
However, Tonya Little, spokeswoman for the Philadelphia police, said that Friend's father had identified the body. And the Baltimore Sun reported that a family friend, Unabyrd Wadhams, said that Friend's mother was in Philadelphia and called Wadhams on Monday to convey the news of her son's death.
Friend, 22, had been missing since leaving his North Philadelphia home for a run on Aug. 18. Security cameras at Temple University and a nearby pharmacy caught him running near the school's campus early in his run, according to the Sun. Police found Friend's car keys, wallet and cellphone in his house. Only his house keys were gone.
According to the Sun report, Friend wrote "Sorry guys" on a white board in his house and posted "I'm sorry everyone" on his Facebook page shortly before he left for the run.
It is being reported that Friend was upset about his overdue rent. Wadhams said that Friend majored in broadcasting and media at Temple and was interviewing for a job at the cable TV company Comcast in Philadelphia. The police investigation is continuing to determine the cause of death, which many believe to be suicide.
Regardless of whether it was a suicide, it is always sad when a dynamic young person, with a future in front of him, loses his life.
Read more at the Baltimore Sun.
In other news: Michele Moody-Adams Resigns Before Semester Begins.