Still trying to process my experience at Ashbridges today. Forgive me if you think I should not be posting about this. Today I met a lovely pair of birders who asked for my help when they spotted something unusual in the lake. To the dismay of us all, we realized it was indeed a dead body, floating some distance from the southern shoreline. I called 911 and arranged to meet officers in the parking lot while the other birders stayed at the scene. Very soon I was sitting in the back of a cruiser, directing the first officer through the park to the shoreline. Within minutes there were multiple cruisers, six fire engines, two EMS vehicles, and eventually two marine units on the lake. While we were giving statements, officers were using our binoculars to confirm our report. Bizarrely, passers-by were taking photos. As awful as the experience was, I'm glad it was us and not children who made the discovery. The news has since reported that he was young - only 30-40. Someone's brother? Someone's son? Someone's friend? So very very sad.
-kris
