A man’s body was recovered on Saturday in the Caribbean amid a desperate search for a missing New York City man who authorities have said vanished during a romantic trip with his wife in Turks and Caicos.
Local police discovered the body around 9:05 a.m. while conducting a search operation for Brian Tarrence, a New Yorker reported missing since June 25. The body was found “in a state of decomposition,” police said in a statement posted to social media.
Police said they had not yet been able to confirm the identify of the person’s body found in the area of Grace Bay.
“The Royal Turks and Caicos Island Police Force extends sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased. We urge members of the public to refrain from speculation and allow the investigation process to confirm the identify through official channels,” Acting Commissioner Rodney Adams said.
Tarrence had been on vacation in the tropical destination with his wife up until June 25, when the 51-year-old was last seen. The pair had gone for a boat ride and out to dinner while staying at the Inn at Grace Bay, an Airbnb near the beach.
According to island police and a private investigator hired by the family, Tarrence was last seen on surveillance video leaving his rental property at around 3:40 a.m.
The investigator said he was wearing a T-shirt and shorts; he had his phone and wallet with him at the time, according to the surveillance footage. Then, he simply vanished. Tarrence was last seen headed towards the small downtown area.
The state department shared a missing persons poster in hopes of generating some fresh leads in the mysterious disappearance of New Yorker. Tarrence most recently lived in Manhattan, but before that lived in the Orange County town of Monroe.
“I’m looking to find something that shows where he was last, whether it be a charge card or a phone. Then, maybe I’m leaning towards more criminality than anything else,” investigator Carl Defazio said.
Defazio, who is also a former NYPD detective, told NBC New York Tarrence had no known health issues, and his family is desperately hoping for new leads about his whereabouts.