Teens discover dismembered body parts of cocaine trafficker floating in pond

SHIRLEY, Mass. (TCN) -- A dismembered body found in a pond by a group of teenagers has been identified as belonging to a man convicted of cocaine trafficking in 2018.

The Boston Herald reports a group of teenagers walking across a bridge on March 4 saw a human leg and foot floating in a pond. Brett Clapper, 15, said he and his friends thought the leg belonged to a mannequin at first. They immediately called police. 

During a press conference, police said additional dismembered body parts recovered from the water appeared to be from the same person and that the cuts made to the body were clean. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said, “they were severed by a sharp-force instrument.”

The search is still underway for more body parts, according to the Boston Herald. Police took fingerprints from the remains to help identify the victim as 69-year-old Peter Degan.

The Boston Herald reports Degan was last seen on Feb. 27 at a pre-release house where he was under court order to remain. In 2018, he was arrested as part of a monthslong narcotics investigation. Police found more than $725,000 in cash, 2 kilograms of cocaine, and drug distribution materials inside his home.

At the time of Degan’s arrest, Revere Police announced he was arraigned on Feb. 8, 2018, on seven counts of distributing Class B cocaine and one count of trafficking Class B cocaine.

The Boston Herald reports he served time after pleading guilty and was then transferred to a pre-release home, where he was last seen.   

Degan’s cause of death has not been determined and police believe his death does not appear to be random. The investigation is ongoing.

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