6-19-2015 BODY RECOVERY UPDATED (6/23)

On Friday, June 19th 2015 at 0915hrs the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department received a call that a hiker had located a deceased person along the shore trail near the State Line Lookout.  Officers and detectives from this agency responded down the trails to locate a potential victim. Approximately an hour later, Lt. Jesse Cohen, Sgt. Fabricio Salazar, and P.O. Joseph Villone located a deceased female victim between the trail and the base of the cliff.  This is approximately 275 feet below the State Line Lookout.  Palisades Parkway Police Marine 3 responded to a remote area to deploy additional manpower to assist with the investigation.  Shortly thereafter, it was determined that a rappel operation would be needed to safely remove the victim and allow the additional personnel to walk out from the scene.

With assistance of Closter Rescue, Closter 769, East Bergen Rappel, and Englewood Cliffs Fire Department, a well organized rappel operation removed the victim to the State Line Lookout.  The victim is described as a white female approximately 5’7″, 150lbs but due to her physical condition, a positive identification is still pending through additional forensics.

At this time, it does not appear that the victim’s death is suspicious however the investigation is ongoing.  No further information is available for release at this time.

UPDATED 6-23-2015:

With the assistance of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department Bureau of Criminal Identification, the victim recovered on June 19th has been positively identified as Catherine Sheerin who went missing on June 15th.  Her identification was made via a fingerprint comparison.  At this time her death was caused by her own actions and suspicious circimstances have been ruled out.