Body of missing US journalist found in river

NEW YORK (AFP) - The body of an American journalist who went missing more than a year ago has been found in New Jersey, officials said Thursday.

David Bird, a Wall Street Journal reporter, went missing on Jan 11, 2014 after leaving home in Long Hill Township, 50km west of New York. He was 55.

Local police chief Michael Mazzeo and Morris County prosecutor Fredric Knapp said that a body found Wednesday in the Passaic River had been identified as Bird's with the help of dental records.

"The medical examiner's investigation into the cause and manner of death is ongoing," the prosecutor's office said.

His remains were discovered after canoers came across a red jacket near a group of branches.

The father of two had a liver transplant in 2004 and worked for Dow Jones for more than 20 years. He was married and had two teenage children, and was described as a great outdoorsman.

According to a website dedicated to finding him, Bird was wearing a red rain jacket when he went missing.

A US$10,000 (S$14,000) reward had been offered for information leading to his whereabouts.

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