A chilling discovery was made by a group of teenagers playing in the snow when they came across severed body parts floating in a Massachusetts pond. Authorities believe the remains belong to a recently released ex-convict, and they suspect foul play is involved.
The teens were near the Maritime Veterans Memorial Bridge on Wednesday evening when they noticed a leg in the water. Shocked by the sight, they promptly notified the police, as reported by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and the Shirley Police Department.
Further investigation led to the recovery of additional body parts, which were identified as those of 69-year-old Peter Degan using fingerprint analysis. Degan’s remains appeared to have been dismembered with a sharp instrument, further suggesting foul play, according to the authorities.
The District Attorney’s office, along with the police, emphasized in a joint statement that they do not believe this incident was random.
Degan had a criminal past, having pleaded guilty in February 2019 to charges related to cocaine trafficking and distribution in Suffolk County. Following his release from prison, he resided in a pre-release center in Rockland, officials disclosed.
Degan pleaded guilty in February 2019 to charges related to trafficking and distribution of cocaine in a Suffolk County case. After he was released from prison, he began living in a pre-release center in Rockland, authorities added.
Degan was last seen in Rockland on Feb. 27, investigators noted.
“I definitely didn’t like that,” Dominic Dunn, a 15-year-old who was among those to discover Degan’s remains while playing in the snow, told CBS News.
“I didn’t like finding a leg with younger siblings here. Especially from having a snowball fight with my little sister, that was messed up,” he said.
“One of the officers or EMTs got his gear on. He got in the water, and you could just see his face drop, and he got all pale. Then he was like yeah, it’s a real leg,” Dunn revealed.
Police are now urging residents who have any information about Degan or who saw anything suspicious in the area where his remains were recovered to immediately contact police.
Degan’s cause of death is not immediately clear. The incident remains under investigation.
