Body of missing US airman found in Italian river

MILAN — The body of a U.S. airman has been found in a river in the northern Italian town where he went missing 10 days ago, Italian authorities said Tuesday.

A Carabinieri official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to give the information, said the body of Staff Sgt. Halex Hale was identified by his father and colleagues from the Aviano Air Base. The body, clad in just a swimming suit, was spotted earlier Tuesday by a passer-by, who notified authorities.

The 24-year-old from Middletown, Indiana, who was assigned to the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base north of Venice, went missing on July 2 after leaving a friend’s cookout off base in the town of Sacile to walk to another friend’s home about 15 minutes away. He left his cellphone, credit cards and car at the cookout.

The body was found in an area searched for five days with the aid of divers and dogs, but the official said it was likely that the body had gotten caught in vegetation below the surface and had been freed more recently by the current.

Authorities say it is possible that Hale had gone swimming in a canal in front of his friend’s house, although the cause of death remains unknown. The canal runs into the river where the body was found.

An autopsy is planned for Wednesday, the official said.

Hale’s father traveled to Italy to aid in the search for his son. His mother, Amy, told The Star Press in Muncie, Indiana, that her son had been in the Air Force for six years and at Aviano since February 2015. He also served in Afghanistan.