Dead person found in Rochester, New York, reservoir identified as missing man

A man discovered dead in a Rochester, New York, reservoir was identified Thursday after he was missing for a month.

Abduhahi Muya, 29, was last seen alive in person on Feb. 18, the Rochester Police Department posted on X.

Surveillance footage showed Mr. Muya entered the gated area of the city’s Highland Park reservoir in the early hours of Feb. 24 and “slid down the side of the reservoir into the water” at 6:30 a.m. before dying, Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said at a press conference.

“This obviously calls into question how could he not be detected in the reservoir after being there that long. This is a question that all of us are asking, me in particular. The reservoir is fenced, as you know, it has spikes, but that does not deter someone who may be determined to get in,” Mr. Evans said.

Mr. Muya’s body was not spotted by staff at the reservoir until Monday.

“This reservoir is extremely deep, 15 feet deep, and the body was well below the surface. Reflection waves and shadows at the specific location can obscure the view of the bottom,” Mr. Evans said, explaining why Mr. Muya’s corpse was not spotted for weeks.

An advisory to boil all water for safety reasons was issued for Rochester when the body was first found, and that notice was lifted Thursday following water testing by the Monroe County Department of Environmental Health, the mayor said.