MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department announced that the body found in the Monongahela River on March 27 has been identified.
Arthurdale resident James Weaver, 48, was found dead about a month after he was reported missing to the Westover Police Department on February 14. Monongalia County Sheriff Perry Palmer reported that the identity of Weaver’s body was determined by the West Virginia State Medical Examiner’s Office.
“The body that was located on the Monongahela River on March 27, we were able to identify as James R. Weaver, 48 years old, of Arthurdale, West Virginia,” said Palmer. “It was identified by the medical examiner in Charleston,” he said.
Weaver’s body was reportedly found in the area of Lazzelle Union Road, near Scott’s Run. The Granville Police Department was the first on the scene after it was reported to them at around 1 p.m. on March 27. The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department later took over the investigation after Granville PD determined that Weaver’s body was outside their jurisdiction.
“Granville Police Department was called to it, it might’ve been in their jurisdiction, it was an area close to Lazzelle Union Road,” said Palmer.
The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department investigated the scene with the assistance of the Granville Police Department, the Granville Fire Department, Mon EMS, and the Monongalia County Medical Examiners Office. Once Weaver’s body was removed from the water, an autopsy was conducted at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Charleston.
“It was about 1:09 p.m. on the 27th (when the body was discovered), and then after they (Granville PD) determined that it was in our jurisdiction, then we got the call, and our deputies and investigators went down,” Palmer said.
Palmer reported that the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department is conducting an ongoing investigation. No information on a possible cause of death has yet to be released.
“The report has not concluded yet, we are still investigating, our detectives are still investigating, and we are not going to release anything further with an ongoing investigation,” Palmer said.