Police Identify Body Found in Katonah Park

[Update, 4 p.m. Monday] Bedford Police have identified the body found in the park as that of Jun Nam, a 62-year-old New Jersey man, and they say the death looks to have been a suicide.

Officers were dispatched to the park at 5:51 p.m. Sunday "in an attempt to locate a missing person from Westwood, NJ," authorities said in a statement Monday afternoon.

Police are continuing the investigation, with assistance from the medical examiner's office. That office, which was unable to provide a time of death, said the cause of death was asphyxia by hanging. 

The autopsy is considered complete.

[Update, 11:45 a.m. Monday] Officials say the male found was an adult. More information is expected later today.

[Update, 11:30 a.m. Monday] Authorities do not believe the person found was exerting himself "as part of a recreational sport," the Lewisboro Ledger reports.

Many folks around town are just learning of the news, and waiting to hear more details.

Three residents walking on Cherry Street, along with many on Katonah Avenue, Monday morning were very surprised to hear of the discovery.

"[It's] shocking, actually," Debbie Kelly, a waitress at Katonah Restaurant and resident of Greenville Road in Katonah, said Monday morning. 

Living so close by, Kelly is one of the many folks who uses the park. She often walks a family dog there, and sees lots of others doing the same. The area is frequently filled with families, she added.

Kelly, who said one customer was talking about the news Monday morning, is hoping the death was "a random thing," and not foul play.

[Update, 9:25 a.m. Monday] Bedford Police officials are waiting to hear back from the Westchester County Medical Examiner's Office for preliminary autopsy results on the body found Sunday in Katonah Memorial Park.

Authorities responded to the unattended death of a male subject at about 6 p.m. Sunday, according to Lt. Jeffrey Dickan. Officials—who would not yet say whether they believe the death to be suspicious in nature—are withholding the identity of the individual until the family can be notified.

The medical examiner's office removed the body from the park, and an autopsy is expected to take place late Monday morning or Monday afternoon, police say. 

"They were not there for a long period of time," Dickan said when asked how long the body had been in the park. "This isn’t a situation where someone was up there for a couple days."

Members of the Westchester County Police were on the scene to assist with lighting Sunday night, and New York State troopers set up a perimeter, according to Bedford Police. 

The scene has been cleared and the park is open at this time. Additional details were not available at this time.

[Update, 9:15 a.m. Monday] Access roads are open and the park entrance is clear of police vehicles. No word from officials yet.

[Original story, 9 p.m. Sunday] Bedford Police are investigating an unattended death in the Katonah Memorial Park as of 6 p.m. Sunday evening, according to officials. The investigation is ongoing and more information is expected to be released Monday morning. Stay with Patch for more on this developing story.