dead in the water part two

Strange report out of Watertown NY yesterday.


Search
Body of scuba diver found in St. Lawrence River
Updated: 1/23/2006 11:02 AM
By: Amy Ohler

Brett Schirmer and his friend, John Mott dove into the St. Lawrence
River 25 years ago in search for the wreckage of the Sir Robert Peel.

But Schirmer never returned.

"He was 21 years old at the time that he got into trouble scuba
diving," said State Police Investigator Michael Marvin.

Sunday a group of scuba divers also looking for remains of the Sir
Robert Peel wreckage found more than they were looking for.

"So we dove starting up stream and we passed down to our maximum depth.
We started coming back up and then we happened upon the body. We didn't
plan it, we didn't look for it as something that we set out that day to
go out and find but that's how we came upon it," said Heinz Wahl.

The divers say they almost missed finding the body because it looked so
out of place. But they say after they scrapped off the zebra muscles
they found a yellow oxygen tank and the scuba diver's body.

Marvin said, "The investigation between us and the medical examiners
office has determined that the remains that were recovered from the
river yesterday are that of Brett Schrimmer who is a missing scuba
diver that we've had an open case on since August 1981."

"So you know mixed feelings is kind of an unpleasant experience to come
upon something like that, but you also know that it brings closure to
somebody who may be grieving for a lost one," said Wahl.

Friends and family members of Schirmer say although they are shocked,
this does finally give them that closure.

Investigator Marvin says a dive team will be going back into the water
Tuesday to look for other evidence.