A body believed to be the brother of Ravens safety Ed Reed was retrieved from the Mississippi River on Tuesday, 18 days after Brian Reed went into the water trying to escape from police in Kenner, La. Identification of the body is pending an autopsy to be performed by the Jefferson Parish Coroner's Office on Wednesday.
According to Kenner police spokesman Lt. Wayne McInnis, the body was found less than a quarter mile — and some 30 feet off shore — from the place Brian Reed went into the river around 10 a.m. on Jan. 7.
Texas Equusearch, a volunteer organization that helps families find missing relatives, confirmed the recovery of a submerged body in the area of 153rd Street in Kenner to New Orleans TV station WDSU.
Tuesday was the seventh day of diving for Texas Equusearch, which thought it had found the body on Sunday in a nearby area. Heavy winds and sporadic rain hampered the search, McInnis said. Three boats used sonar and dragging operations in a search that extended eight to 10 miles downriver before locating the body Tuesday.
"It's premature to say it's Brian Reed until they perform the autopsy [Wednesday]," McInnis said. "The family pretty much had accepted the fact and assumed the worst. They realize it's a chance for closure and that's what they're looking for."Reed, 29, was stopped by a deputy sheriff from the St. Charles Parish Sheriff's Office on the morning of Jan. 7 over what was believed to be a stolen car. Karen Reed, Brian's mother, said the car actually belonged to another of his sons.
In an attempt to flee from the police, Brian Davis took off running and went into the Mississippi, where police saw him struggle and finally go under.
Ed Reed, a nine-year veteran for the Ravens, played in the team's first-round playoff game two days later, saying his brother would have wanted him to play. He then went home to St. Rose, La., to assist the family, returning to Baltimore to practice for the second-round playoff game in Pittsburgh.
After losing to the Steelers, Reed again returned to St. Rose to be with his family. He was not available to comment Tuesday night.
Karen Reed said that Brian had struggled with drug and alcohol abuse.
