Overview
- Gardner police drones spotted a body on Crystal Lake on Wednesday, prompting state police divers to recover and identify Leonard Mercury.
- The Worcester County district attorney said the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner accepted the case and will determine how he died as police continue their investigation.
- Mercury, 57, was last seen leaving Heywood Hospital in Gardner shortly before 2 a.m. on Oct. 31, 2025, with his wife later saying he escaped by breaking a window while in distress.
- Earlier searches over several months by local police, Massachusetts State Police dive and special units, Environmental Police, and Westminster police did not locate him.
- One report referenced a Newton lake, but officials specify Crystal Lake in Gardner as the recovery site.