(Newswire.net— April 7, 2018) — The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body found in Chattahoochee River, NW Atlanta, as CDC employee Timothy Cunningham, Atlanta Police Department reported.
Cunningham, an expert on Ebola and Zika viruses, was missing since February 12. After more than two weeks of search, anglers spotted what appeared to be severely decomposed human remains. The Police department reported Thursday that medical examiners confirmed it is the body of 35-year old Harvard-educated epidemiologist Timothy Cunningham.
According to the police, for now the evidence shows no signs of “foul play” attached to his death.
“As it stands right now, there’s been no foul play indicated to this point,” Major Michael O’Connor, the commander of the Atlanta Police Department’s Major Crimes Section, said at a press conference on Thursday.
The question on how exactly Cunningham ended up in the river may never be answered, according O’Connor. The investigation, however, is not yet closed since examiners are still waiting for the toxicology report.
After the autopsy, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office reported that Cunningham has drowned but there is no evidence of a third party or violence so it remains a mystery regarding which circumstances lead to his drowning in the river. Fulton County Medical Examiner, Jan Gorniak, told reporters that Cunningham’s body was in the river since the day he went missing. The body was identified through dental records.
The CDC epidemiologist was last seen leaving his office after complaining he was feeling ill. After failing to get in touch with him, Cunningham’s family reported him missing. After weeks of searching, fishermen found the body by accident, floating face up on the riverbank.
On the day that Cunningham disappeared, his car was still parked in the garage and his dog was left on its own. His wallet, driver’s license and his cellphone were found inside the house, which propelled various conspiracy theories arguing the epidemiologist was murdered as a part of a cover up. However, no one disclosed what exactly was presumed to be the subject of the alleged conspiracy.
After his disappearance, Cunningham’s family offered a $10.000 reward for information. It is not disclosed if the fishermen who found the body collected the reward.