News Nearby: Body of Jimmy Slack Found in Pittsburgh

The body of Jimmy Slack,, was recovered Monday afternoon on the shore of the Ohio River, Bridgeville police Chief Chad King confirmed.

Pittsburgh police were called about 1:30 p.m. to an area near the Carnegie  Center, and the description of the person’s clothing matched what Slack was wearing when he disappeared Dec. 7. Pittsburgh police Sgt. Joe Gannon said a crew on a boat that was pulling up to the shore noticed the body and called 911.

King notified the family at their Bridgeville home shortly after the body was discovered.

“It was very emotional,” King said. "I think they were still holding out to hope that he would come home.”

Police are waiting for an autopsy to determine how Slack died. It’s not yet clear if his death is considered suspicious or an accidental, but Slack was found with identification.

“It is unclear to investigators, at this point, how Mr. Slack entered the river,” Pittsburgh police said. “The investigation is ongoing."

Slack, who graduated in 2004 from Chartiers Valley High School and was living with his parents in Bridgeville, had gone to a String Cheese Incident concert at Stage AE on the North Side. He was separated from a friend, Paulette Beadling, who left with another person when she tried but failed to find him. They later exchanged numerous text messages and  calls with her before he disappeared.

Family members became concerned when Slack didn’t return or answer calls to his . They said he was getting ready to return to his job working on a barge and that he would never want to miss his niece’s birthday that weekend.

 that canvassed the North Side and placed fliers across the region. Slack’s family continued to hold out hope for his safe return even as few clues emerged. A . The family also launched a Facebook page and Twitter account to spread information about the missing man.

 Dec. 22 at  in Bridgeville. His parents, James and Donna, and sisters Maureen Shields and Laura Slack, greeted each of them with hugs and tears.

“The comfort was people looking for him and genuinely caring about him,” Donna Slack said that night. “I wouldn’t have been able to do this (without them).”

Continue to monitor Patch as more details become available.