Officials say foul play is suspected after severed body parts were recovered near a bridge and pond in the Massachusetts town.
SHIRLEY, MA — Authorities said Thursday that human remains found in the water near the Maritime Veterans Memorial Bridge belonged to a 69-year-old man who was last seen alive on Feb. 27, as investigators continued searching the area and treating the case as a suspected homicide.
Investigators identified the victim as Peter Degan, who had most recently been living in a pre-release center in Rockland after serving part of a prison sentence tied to a Suffolk County drug case. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said the remains recovered so far appear to be from one person, but a full body has not been found. The condition of the remains, the ongoing search and the lack of arrests left major questions unanswered Thursday about where Degan was killed, who moved his body and how long the remains had been in the water.
The investigation began about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when a group of young people walking near the bridge on Shaker Road reported seeing what looked like a body part in the water. Police and fire crews responded and confirmed the discovery, then called in state police detectives and the Massachusetts State Police Underwater Recovery Unit. Ryan said the first body part confirmed at the scene was a human leg. Divers and investigators stayed in the area Wednesday night and returned Thursday as they continued to search the pond and nearby waterway. “Based upon the preliminary information, foul play is suspected,” Ryan said as officials described an active investigation involving the district attorney’s office, Shirley police and state police teams. Residents were told to expect a heavier police presence around Shaker Road and the bridge while the work continued.
By Thursday, investigators said they had recovered additional remains and identified the victim through fingerprints as Degan. Ryan said the body parts “appear to have been clean cut,” adding that they were severed with a sharp force instrument. Officials said they do not believe the killing was random, but they declined to explain why they reached that conclusion. They also said there was no known threat to the public. A cause of death had not been determined Thursday, and Ryan said investigators had not yet recovered a full body. That left several central facts unresolved, including whether Degan was killed in Shirley or elsewhere, how long the remains had been in the water and whether more remains or evidence were still in the pond, along the shore or near the bridge where the first discovery was made.
Authorities said Degan had been staying at a pre-release facility in Rockland after serving time in a drug case that dated to 2019 in Suffolk County. Ryan said he had pleaded guilty in that case and had served part of his sentence at MCI-Shirley before being transferred to the Rockland program. Multiple reports on Thursday said he had returned to that facility on Feb. 6 and was last seen there on Friday, Feb. 27. Officials did not say Thursday when he was first reported missing or whether he had been wearing a GPS monitoring device at the time he disappeared. They also did not publicly describe any known recent movements, phone activity, vehicle use or contacts that might help explain how he ended up in Shirley. Those gaps are likely to shape the next stage of the investigation as detectives work backward from the recovery site to reconstruct his final days.
The setting added to the shock in a town where the bridge, pond and walking areas are part of daily routines for nearby residents and teenagers. Neighbors told local television stations they saw police lights, crime scene tape and divers moving through the water after the discovery. Some described hearing children react in disbelief after realizing what had been found. One resident told WCVB that the young people “went running up the street” before police arrived. Another resident said the area is usually calm, with regular foot traffic and dog walkers. The remains were found near Phoenix Pond and Catacoonamug Brook, according to local reports, in a fairly secluded stretch around the bridge. That mix of visibility and isolation may become important as investigators review whether anyone passed through the area, stopped a vehicle nearby or discarded evidence without drawing immediate attention.
As of Thursday night, no suspect had been named and no charges had been announced. Ryan asked anyone who may have seen Degan since Feb. 27, or anyone who noticed suspicious activity near the bridge or pond during that period, to contact investigators. The next steps are expected to include continued searches for additional remains, forensic testing on the body parts already recovered, review of surveillance footage and interviews with people connected to Degan’s recent movements in Rockland, Shirley and elsewhere. Investigators also are likely to wait for autopsy findings before clarifying the manner and cause of death. For now, the case remains in its evidence-gathering stage, with prosecutors and police saying only that the death appears targeted and that the search area could remain active as crews try to build a clearer timeline.
By late Thursday, the case stood as a grim and fast-moving investigation centered on a victim now identified but many circumstances still unknown. The next milestone is expected to be a further update from the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office after additional search and forensic work is completed.
Author note: Last updated March 5, 2026.