CDC scientist found dead in Atlanta after mysterious disappearance likely drowned, police say

Show Caption Hide Caption Police: Missing CDC employee drowned, no signs of foul play Authorities say an employee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention whose body was found in an Atlanta river drowned and that there were no signs of foul play. (April 5)

A Centers for Disease and Control employee who mysteriously vanished two months ago was found dead in an Atlanta river and likely drowned, police said Thursday.

Timothy Cunningham, a promising official who aided the CDC in responses to Ebola and Zika outbreaks, went missing in February after leaving work early at his office in Chamblee, Ga.

Cunningham told co-workers he felt sick and planned to finish working at home. But in the hours and days before his disappearance, Cunningham, 35, made a number of odd comments.

Atlanta police confirmed Thursday that his body was found in the Chattahoochee River in the northwest area of the city. Authorities say he likely drowned and there were no signs of any marks or injuries that would lead to indications of foul play. He also had no signs of any other ailments that could have contributed to his death.

Several men fishing along the river discovered Cunningham's remains on the riverbank on Tuesday. Rough currents made it hard for fire officials to recover his body, which took several days to identify because it was in the water for nearly two months, Fulton County chief medical examiner Jan Gorniak said.

Fire officials had previously searched the river after Cunningham's disappearance but did not find anything.

CDC doctor missing, foul play not ruled out Authorities said Tuesday that a 35-year-old doctor, who has been missing for two weeks, told co-workers he was expecting a promotion and was disappointed when he was passed over for it. Timothy Cunningham worked as an epidemiologist at the CDC. (Feb. 27)

Gorniak is waiting for a toxicology test, which would say whether any drugs were in his system, before making a final ruling on his death.

Atlanta Police Major Michael O'Connor said Cunningham was found in his favorite jogging suit and had crystals in his pockets, adding it was a hobby of his to collect stones and gems.

O'Connor said the one thing he still doesn't understand is how Cunningham ended up in the river.

"We may never be able to tell you," he said, noting there wasn't any surveillance footage in the area that would help piece together his final movements.

O'Connor said he anticipates closing the case within a month but that could change if new tips come in that point the investigation in another direction.

From the start, Cunningham's disappearance was mysterious and spurred conspiracy theories. But he did not have access to classified material, and the CDC says it does not believe that his employment would be the cause of any foul play.

UPDATE: The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the body recovered in the Chattahoochee River in NW Atlanta late Tuesday to be missing CDC employee Timothy Cunningham. A press conference will be held at 2 p.m. ET at APD Headquarters on the investigation. pic.twitter.com/PlAGiqHO5P — Atlanta Police Dept (@Atlanta_Police) April 5, 2018

A day before he went missing, Cunningham allegedly told his neighbor "to erase his cellphone number from my cellphone," the neighbor, Viviana Tory, told CBS.

The day of his disappearance, police say Cunningham called his sister, who said he sounded different that day, and his mother, who didn't answer.

When his family did try to reconnect, they couldn't get a hold of him and asked another family member to check on him at his house. The relative couldn't find Cunningham and noticed his cellphone and car keys were still in the house.

His dog, Mr. Bojangles, was left unattended and his car sat parked in the garage.

"None of this makes sense," his brother, Anterio Cunningham, told Atlanta's Fox 5. "He wouldn't just evaporate like this and leave his dog alone and have our mother wondering and worrying like this. He wouldn't."

Authorities had offered a $10,000 reward for information in the case.

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