NEED TO KNOW
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Police in Turks and Caicos found a badly decomposing body while searching for missing New York City man Brian Tarrence, 51, who vanished while visiting the island in late June
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Police have not yet confirmed the identity of the body
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The human remains police discovered on Saturday, July 5, were found 20 minutes away on foot from the inn where Tarrence was staying, a member of the search party tells PEOPLE
Authorities in Turks and Caicos are trying to determine whether a body found on Saturday, July 5, is that of a missing New York City man last seen leaving an inn 20 minutes away on foot.
In the early morning hours of June 25, Brian Tarrence, 51, of Manhattan, was seen on surveillance video leaving the Paradise Inn in Grace Bay, Providenciales, where he and his wife were staying, News 12 Westchester and Fox News were the first to report.
On Saturday, July 5, authorities announced in social media posts that an unidentified deceased male had been discovered at 9:06 a.m. in the Grace Bay area “in a state of decomposition,” according to the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF).
This remains a death investigation, private investigator Carl DeFazio, who was part of the search party that looked for Tarrence, tells PEOPLE.
Trying to determine the identity of the body is challenging because it was so badly decomposed, said DeFazio.
“The body was not found for 10 days in 90-plus [degree] heat,” he says.
He said authorities were careful not to make assumptions about the grim finding.
“You can’t just look at, say, a watch, sneakers and a pair of shorts,” he says. “Anybody could be wearing that. What if we say, ‘Yeah, that’s his watch, that’s his shorts,’ and then find out somebody else had them. And if that were the truth, then this investigation takes a turn tremendously right there. But we’re not there yet. But hopefully we’ll get there today or soon.”
DeFazio revealed that the body was found relatively close to the inn where he and his wife were staying.
“He was found a 20-minute walk from where he was last seen,” he says. “I would say about a block off of Leeward Highway in a little residential commercial area.”
The body, he said, was found “in the bush in a ditch.”
Olga Melhiser Photography / Getty Images
Grace Bay
The search party broke into six different quadrants to fan out and look for Tarrence, DeFazio says.
“Then we had the quadrants split up,” he says. “We had a team captain in every quadrant.”
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He believes that Tarrence was walking toward the downtown area and took a right at the roundabout where the Ritz-Carlton sits.
Related: Body Found amid Search for N.Y.C. Man Who Vanished During Vacation with Wife in Turks and Caicos
He said investigators had to review surveillance footage from many cameras in the area, which was time-consuming.
“You could be looking at the wrong camera for two hours, and it’s hundreds of cameras, so you got to find the right cameras,” he says. “Everybody thinks it’s like Dragnet on TV. That ain’t the way it works.”
Tarrence and his wife, Maria, were on the island celebrating their first wedding anniversary and arrived on June 21, DeFazio said.
Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force
Brian Tarrence
The vacation started “like normal,” said DeFazio, who is working with Tarrence’s family.
Related: Husband’s Turks and Caicos Vacation with Wife Seemed ‘Normal,’ Then He Vanished Alone: Inside the Hunt for Answers
But then, at 3:30 a.m. on June 25, surveillance footage captured the Manhattan software firm vice president walking down the street with his phone in his hand and his wallet on him, DeFazio said.
His wallet is missing, but no charges have been made to his card since his disappearance, DeFazio said. There haven’t been any calls made on his phone, either.
“Everything prior to the point where he walked out of that house, he seems fine,” DeFazio told News 12. “They had a boat trip and went to dinner, just like every other family would do when they’re here.”
Of Tarrence leaving his hotel overnight, DeFazio said: “That’s a little bizarre in itself. … He’s in the middle of town. His wife was sleeping.”
The RTCIPF has urged anyone with information relating to the incident to contact police, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-8477 (TIPS) or the P3 mobile app.
Read the original article on People
