Body pulled from Thames River at Harris Park Friday morning

London police are investigating after a body was pulled from the Thames River at Harris Park on Friday. Bryan Bicknell reports.

London police pulled a body from the east side of the Thames River at Harris Park Friday morning.

Liam A., who requested his last name not be used, and who lives on the other side of the river, watched the dramatic scene unfold.

“I came to the end of the street. I looked over the side down to the lower part of Harris Park. There was a body on the side of the river there, and probably 20 first responders around him. A woman with her dog was standing there, and everybody kind of looked a little confused,” he explained.

Media Relations Officer Const. Matt Dawson of the London Police Service says officers responded to Harris Park shortly before 9 a.m. Friday when a passerby discovered what they believed was a body in the water.

“We were able to remove the body from the river, and that person has been confirmed deceased. Our investigators will be working with the Chief Coroner’s Office with respect to identifying the body, and who that person is. The investigation is in its early stages. More information will be provided as the investigation goes on,” said Dawson.

Significant infrastructure work has been done along the banks of the river over the last two years to help mitigate flooding at Harris Park. But with the higher temperatures and the rainfall over the last few days, the water is still high and flowing quickly.

“Our officers were obviously cautious and used their experience to be able to get that body out of the river as quickly as possible,” said Dawson.

He adds that the case has been assigned to the Major Crime section, which is normal practice in such circumstances.

Investigators will work with the Office of the Chief Coroner to determine the cause of death.