Headless and armless torso washed up on New York beach could be missing filmmaker: NYPD

Police are working to identify the remains of a dismembered human body that washed up on a New York City beach Friday.

The New York City Police Department responded to Breezy Point Beach located in Queens shortly before 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 17 after a 911 call reported the presence of a human body. Upon arrival, officers found a headless, armless torso with legs still attached lying on the sand, according to an NYPD statement provided to USA TODAY.

Police said in the statement that the medical examiner is working to determine the cause of death. The identity of the deceased is likewise "pending proper family notification."

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Disappearance of Ross McDonnell

While the body has yet to be formally identified, police sources told NBC New York and New York Daily News it is suspected to belong to Ross McDonnell, 44, an Irish filmmaker who was last seen Nov. 4 riding a bicycle away from his apartment in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

McDonnell, an Emmy award-winning photographer and filmmaker, was believed to have gone to the beach to swim that evening, as his friends told police this was a common practice of McDonnell's. His bike was later found locked at Fort Tilden Beach, which is located next to Breezy Point.

Police suspect no foul play in this case despite the dismemberment, NBC and New York Daily News reported. Instead, it's suspected McDonnell got caught in a current and drowned while swimming and the subsequent damage to his body was caused by sealife, sharp rocks the churning waves.

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