LOWELL – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, Lowell Police Superintendent Greg Hudon and Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble have confirmed that the body of 4-year-old Azriel Lopez of Lawrence was recovered from the Merrimack River today in Tewksbury.

Today around 9 a.m. an off-duty Lieutenant with the Massachusetts State Police who was on the river in his personal boat, located what appeared to be a body in the water near the Trull Brook Golf Course in Tewksbury.

The Massachusetts State Police Marine Unit and Dive Team responded to the scene and were able to recover the body that has been tentatively identified as Azriel Lopez. Tewksbury, Lowell and Methuen Police Departments along with the Massachusetts State Police A-Troop Detectives assisted in the recovery of the body. 

The 4-year-old has been missing since Saturday, April 19, when he accidentally fell into the river. 

Immediately following reports that the child had fallen into the river multiple agencies responded to search for Azriel Lopez. That search included the Lowell Police Drone Unit and Massachusetts State Police Airwing which used infrared to search and the Massachusetts Environmental Police who used sonar and side-scanning sonar.

Additional agencies that have been involved in the ongoing search for the missing boy in the Merrimack River are listed below.

Lowell Police Patrol Division
Lowell Police Detective Division
Lowell Police Drone Unit
Lowell Police Clinician
Lowell Fire Department
Lowell Fire Department Dive Team
Massachusetts State Police Dive Team
Massachusetts State Police Drone Unit
Massachusetts State Police Air Wing
Massachusetts State Police Marine Unit
Massachusetts Environmental Police
Dracut Police Department
Tewksbury Police Department
NEMLEC Drone Unit
Middlesex District Attorney’s Office
Massachusetts Department of Fire Services
Methuen Police Department
Methuen Fire Department
Lawrence Police Department
Lawrence Police Department Marine Patrol Unit
Lawrence Fire Department
Framingham Police Department Dive Team
Boston Fire Department
Cambridge Fire Department
District 14 Fire (26 Firefighters and 5 boats launched from towns including Lincoln, Natick, Ashland, Hudson, Westborough, Framingham, and Hopkinton)

This case will be referred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.  No foul play is suspected.