Missing Student's Body Found in N.Y.

NEW YORK – The body of a college student who disappeared in April during a visit to New York City was found in the Hudson River.

Patrick M. Welsh (search), 22, was last seen April 15 when he took a train from Harrisburg, Pa., to New York. He used his cell phone the night he arrived, but was never heard from again.

Welsh, of Sykesville, Md., attended York College (search) in Pennsylvania.

His body was found Thursday off Manhattan. A family member positively identified him, Detective Bernard Gifford said Wednesday. Results of an autopsy were pending.

Three days after Welsh was last heard from, a homeless man used his mobile phone, but police had said the man was not considered a suspect in Welsh's disappearance.

"This really just comes as a tremendous shock," said Dominic Delli Carpini, a York College professor who taught Welsh. "We were hoping for different news. I guess we were all hoping greatly that he was out there exploring and learning and doing some writing about his experiences."

The family of the homeless man, John Dennis Koppinger, said he had left a message on his father's answering maching saying he had found a cell phone and was calling just to say he was OK.

Last month, Maryland State Police (search) posted a message on the Web site of a band, Ratdog, looking for information in Welsh's disappearance. Friends and family said he was a fan of jam bands, and had toured with another band last summer.