Body of Man Found Floating in Tidal Basin

Body found near FDR Memorial off West Basin Drive

The body of a man was found floating in the Tidal Basin early Thursday.

Authorities arrived at the scene shortly before 1 a.m. The body was found near the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial off West Basin Drive

Police are treating the incident as a death investigation.

The family of an Illinois man who disappeared in D.C. March 31 is coming to D.C. to determine if the body is his, News4's Jackie Bensen reported.

Tech engineer Sarath Kumar Potharaju was in D.C. for contract work and was visiting relatives. He excused himself to find a restroom near the FDR Memorial but never returned. His family found his rental car where he parked it near the Old Post Office, and there has been no activity on his cell phone or credit cards.

This is the second body to found in water in the past week. A fisherman found the body of another man at 10 a.m. Saturday in the Potomac River between Independence Avenue and Ohio Drive, near a path used by some people seeking to view the cherry blossoms. That man was identified as as Robert Groshan, 63, of Northwest D.C.

Police have not confirmed if the two incidents are connected.


Note: An earlier report Thursday said the body may have been found in the river. Authorities had been unable to immediately confirm to News4 whether the body was found in the Potomac River near the Tidal Basin, or in the basin itself.

Contact Us