by Staff | Jul 14, 2014 1:42 pm

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Posted to: Legal Writes

Police Monday identified the body firefighters pulled from Evergreen Cemetery pond Saturday.

The man was 23-year-old Levi Gallishaw of New Haven, police said. Gallishaw’s body has been transferred to the state Office of Chief Medical Examiner.

A previous version of this story follows.

Body Found In Cemetery Pond

Workers in Evergreen Cemetery saw a naked man walk into a pond, go under, and not come up again.

The man who’s body was recovered by Fire Fighters at the Evergreen Cemetery, Saturday afternoon, has been identified as 23 year old Levi P. Gallishaw of New Haven. The body was removed to the office of the state Office of The Chief Medical Examiner.

That’s what the workers told the safety officials who responded to their 911 call Saturday morning, according to fire department Chief Allyn Wright.

The fire department subsequently found the man—dead—in the cemetery pond.

Here’s what Wright said happened:

“Cemetery workers observed a nude male walking toward them from the back of the cemetery,” Wright said. The man walked by the workers, who followed him.

“He walked right into the water,” Wright said. The pond is as deep as 12 feet in some spots, Wright said. “And he just dropped.”

Workers told officials that the man splashed around, but never came back to the surface. They called 911.

The fire department arrived at 10:44 a.m. and put a boat in the water to look for the man. Under the supervision of Battalion Chief William Gould, firefighters found the man’s body some two hours later.

They brought him to the shore, where EMTs were waiting. The man was pronounced dead on the scene at 12:49 p.m.

“It was very, very tragic,” Wright said. The man appeared to be between 25 and 30, Wright said. He had not been identified as of Saturday evening.

“I don’t know what was going on in this young man’s life,” Wright said. “It’s very tragic to see that.”