Crime & Safety
Pequannock River Drowning Ruled a Suicide, Police Say
Zeliha Akcay of Butler was found in the Pequannock River on July 3.
Written and Reported By Eric Goodman and Daniel Hubbard.
The drowning death of a 64-year old Butler woman found in the Pequannock River has been ruled a suicide, according to Bloomingdale police.
Police received a call from a resident who reported seeing a body in the water behind 146 Main St. in Bloomingdale on Wednesday, July 3.
Authorities identified the woman as 64-year old Zeliha Akcay of Butler.
Upon arrival to the scene the caller advised that what appeared to be a clothed body was seen floating face down in the water moving with the current toward Riverdale, police said.
The drowning death of a 64-year old Butler woman found in the Pequannock River has been ruled a suicide, according to Bloomingdale police.
Police received a call from a resident who reported seeing a body in the water behind 146 Main St. in Bloomingdale on Wednesday, July 3.
Authorities identified the woman as 64-year old Zeliha Akcay of Butler.
Upon arrival to the scene the caller advised that what appeared to be a clothed body was seen floating face down in the water moving with the current toward Riverdale, police said.
Sgt. Ron Frost of the Butler Police Department then found the body only a short distance down the stream behind the Wells Fargo Bank on Main Street in Bloomingdale.
“The body was hung up on a rock formation approximately 20 feet off of the Bloomingdale shoreline,” police said.
A family member identified the body as Akcay, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The state Medical Examiner's Office and the Bloomingdale and Butler police departments assisted in the investigation, said Frost.
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