Body of Horseheads woman recovered near Thousand Islands Bridge

The body of 30-year-old Alea L. Melendez of Horseheads was recovered at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, near the Thousand Islands Bridge, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said. Officials said she was found in about 100 feet of water a short distance off Wellesley Island.

Melendez was the registered owner of a vehicle found abandoned in a driving lane on the bridge Friday night, Oct. 23. The bridge was closed overnight during the search and later reopened. Sheriff's officials said surveillance showed no other vehicles near Melendez's vehicle when it was abandoned and that the incident was not considered criminal in nature.

The earlier investigation involved emergency crews and a reported search beneath the bridge. One account said divers searched Saturday morning for a woman last seen on bridge security cameras shortly before midnight. The bridge connects northern New York with Ontario across the St. Lawrence River and is operated by the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority. The closure affected traffic between the Collins Landing and Alexandria Bay area and Ontario.

The Ontario Provincial Police has search-and-rescue responsibility on the Ontario side of the river. Police have not released further details.