COLUMBUS – There is a “high probability” that Joseph “Joey” LaBute Jr. was already dead when he went into the Scioto River, Franklin County Coroner Anahi Ortiz said Thursday.
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LaBute, a 26-year-old Gahanna resident who hadn’t been seen since he left a Short North bar earlier this month, was found dead Tuesday afternoon in the river just south of Downtown.
His identity was confirmed Wednesday night, using dental records.
The cause and manner of LaBute’s death remain under investigation, but police said they have labeled his death suspicious primarily because of the circumstances in which his body was found.
“There is a high probability that he was dead prior to going in the river,” Ortiz said. “We cannot determine that with 100 percent certainty.”
Ortiz said further medical and toxicology tests are needed, a process can take several weeks.
“There were no external traumatic injuries” like gunshots or stab wounds, she said.
Columbus police said detectives with the missing persons unit spotted LaBute’s half-submerged body near the boat launch off Whittier Street near the Scioto Audubon Metro Park and the dive team recovered it at approximately 1:00 p.m.
Police suspected early on that the body was that of LaBute, noting that the clothing fit the description of what LaBute was reportedly wearing when he went missing. But the condition of the body made its immediate identification impossible.
LaBute was last seen at the Union Cafe in the Short North about 12:30 a.m. on March 5.