The body of a man who was reported missing last fall after leaving Heywood Hospital in Gardner was recovered from a nearby lake , officials said Thursday.
Leonard Mercury, 57, of Acton, was found in Crystal Lake, located a short distance from the hospital in north central Massachusetts, officials said.
He was last seen leaving the hospital shortly before 2 a.m. on Oct. 31. Searches conducted by the Gardner Police Department at the time were unsuccessful in locating Mercury, Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.’s office said in a statement.
Local and state police continued looking for Mercury over the following months. On Wednesday, Gardner police used drone technology to conduct an aerial search of Crystal Lake, which revealed “what appeared to be a human body floating in the water,” the statement said.
The State Police dive team then recovered Mercury’s body. The state medical examiner’s office will determine the cause and manner of death.
The investigation is ongoing.
Shannon Larson can be reached at shannon.larson@globe.com. Follow her @shannonlarson98.