Missing hiker found dead not considered victim of foul play

News Release, Aug. 17, 2023

The missing hiker found dead in Breakheart Reservation in Saugus is not considered a victim of foul play, Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker announced Thursday.

The 65-year-old man had entered the property, which is maintained by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, about 8 a.m. Wednesday to search for a piece of missing property.

A family member who had not heard back from him by late afternoon called the Saugus Police Department about 5:45 p.m. Wednesday to report him missing.

Numerous family members and friends launched a search and one friend found the man about a half-hour later, deceased near the base of the Castle Rock rock formation. The man had injuries consistent with a fall.

The cause and manner of death will be determined through an autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner but the death is not considered suspicious and there is no apparent ongoing threat to the public, Tucker said.

The man’s identity is being withheld pending further notification of family and friends.

The case remains under investigation by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office State Police Detective Unit and Saugus Police Department.