Report: Body found in Hudson River is missing kayaker
NEW YORK -- A forensic scientist says that the body found in the Hudson River on Saturday has been identified as missing kayaker Vincent Viafore, reports CBS New York.
Viafore, 46, has been missing since April 19 while kayaking with his fiancee, 35-year-old Angelika Graswald. She reported him missing and told authorities that his kayak capsized in choppy water near Bannerman Island.
Graswald is currently charged with second-degree murder in connection with her fiance's disappearance. Prosecutors have claimed that Graswald told investigators that "it felt good knowing he would die."
CBS New York reported Saturday that police found an unidentified body in the Hudson River near the Cornwall Yacht Club. Authorities reportedly pulled the body onto the docks, according to the station.
The forensic scientist, Michael Archer, is working for Graswald's defense team. He said the body was Viafore's.
"It's my understanding that the body was found today was found by a recreational boater. That the person was found floating face down and that they were in the general vicinity of where Mr. Viafore was last seen," Archer told CBS New York on Saturday.
The medical examiner has not yet ruled officially, but an autopsy was scheduled to be performed on Tuesday, according to the station.
In an interview with News 12 Westchester after her arrest, Graswald said police wrongfully accused her of murder after reading an outdated entry in her diary in which she wrote there were times she wished Viafore was dead because he pushed her for rough sex and wanted her to engage in threesomes.
However, her defense attorney was reportedly skeptical about the statements prosecutors said she made to investigators and argued that a language barrier existed between Graswald and investigators.
Graswald is currently in custody with bail set at $3 million, according to CBS New York.