Reporter’s Body Found: ‘Wall Street Journal’ Reporter David Bird Found In NJ River

Wall Street Journal reporter David Bird’s body has finally been found. The reporter’s body was found 14 months after he went missing one week after New Year’s in 2014. After helping his wife take down the Christmas decorations in his home, Bird decided to take a walk before it rained and then never returned.

Police searched for Bird’s body for 14 months without finding anything. The break in Bird’s case came when two men who were out canoeing on the New Jersey river found a red coat similar to the one he was wearing when he disappeared. The reporter’s body was found by divers and identified through dental records. Although the body has been found, the coroner doesn’t yet have a cause of death.

Previously police had combed the area around the river, including the woods, where Bird’s body had been found. They are unsure of how long his body has been in the river because of the decomposition. Seventeen different law enforcement agencies participated in the location and identification of Bird.

The family thanked the police for their tireless efforts in looking for him.

In the New York Daily News, David’s wife Nancy was quoted as saying, “David’s disappearance has been a long, trying ordeal, and it never gets any easier. But I’m committed to doing everything possible to find David.”

Family members had put up a website the day his body was found to post news about the search for the reporter.

Bird, 55, was a longtime energy reporter for the Wall Street Journal. A liver transplant recipient, he had left his medication and cell phone behind. He was frequently known for taking long walks in the afternoon near the river where his body was found. During his free time, he was also an avid cyclist, hiker, and marathoner.

Raised with five older siblings, Bird graduated from Rider College. Later he joined the Wall Street Journal’s publisher, Dow Jones & Company. Byrd eventually became the deputy managing editor of the Dow Jones Energy Service. He had spent over two decades covering the energy markets.

Editor in chief of the Wall Street Journal Gerard Baker issued a statement in the Washington Post.

“David Bird was a long-standing and valued member of the Dow Jones newsroom, and we are deeply saddened to learn today of his death. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”

David Bird is survived by his wife, Nancy, and two teenage children. No funeral arrangements have been made at this time.

[Photo Credit AP/Long Hill Valley Police Department]