Local police had put out a call for help Dec. 30 in finding Michael Venables, 39, of Newington, who was last seen by his wife about 5:30 a.m. that morning. A state police trooper found his car parked but running in the northbound lane of Route 3 just north of the bridge less than an hour later.
"A state trooper responded to a report of a pedestrian in the area but they didn't find anyone," a State Police Troop H dispatcher said at the time. "Instead they found a Subaru Legacy still running but unoccupied just north of the bridge."
Newington police were contacted after the vehicle registration information pointed to Venables, who police later learned was believed to be despondent. The U.S. Coast Guard, state police, Glastonbury police and area fire departments searched the area including the Connecticut River for much of the day but didn't find anything.
Venables' body was found by a kayaker in the Connecticut River in Cromwell around 10:30 a.m. Saturday.