Body of missing swimmer reportedly found in Hudson River

June 18, 2019

The body of a missing swimmer has been recovered from the Hudson River, sources told CBS New York. They said his body was found Tuesday in the Fort Tryon area off northern Manhattan.

The swimmer was previously identified as 67-year-old Charles Vanderhorst, a renowned AIDS researcher from North Carolina.

Divers had been searching for Vanderhorst since he was last seen Friday near the George Washington Bridge. He was competing in the week-long 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, considered by organizers to be the longest marathon swim in the world.

After Vanderhorst went missing, organizers canceled Saturday’s seventh and final stage of the race. New York Open Water, the organization that runs the race, said in a statement, “Our thoughts are first and foremost with the Van Der Horst family and we ask that all respect their wish for privacy as they mourn this tragic loss.”

Vanderhorst retired from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill medical school, where his career encompassed clinical medicine, teaching and research. He has served as a consultant helping to implement AIDS treatment and prevention programs in South Africa and as a volunteer physician at a free clinic in Raleigh, according to The Associated Press.