Body of missing Randolph teen pulled from reservoir

RANDOLPH — The body of 16-year-old Christopher Defreitas was found floating 100 yards off Great Pond Reservoir Thursday afternoon, three days after his mother reported him missing, police said.

His body was spotted floating by troopers in a State Police helicopter at about 3:30 p.m. and later recovered by the agency’s dive team, Acting Randolph Police Chief John Hamelburg said.

“There’s no signs of foul play, whatsoever,” Hamelburg said, speaking at a press conference Thursday night outside police headquarters. “It appears that he drowned.”

Randolph detectives are investigating the death, along with the Norfolk district attorney’s office and the state medical examiner’s office, he said.

“We were hoping for the best throughout the investigation,” Hamelburg said. “We were hoping it was an elaborate hoax by him. But we were also preparing for the worst.”

He described Defreitas as “very well-liked. A great athlete and a great soccer player.”

The Defreitas family could not be reached for comment Thursday.

A vigil will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday at Randolph Town Hall to support them, according to Hamelburg.

At Randolph High School, students and teammates gathered at the school’s soccer field at about 7 p.m. to remember Defreitas.

“Chris was the best kind of teammate you could have on the field,” said Adam Monteiro, a senior at Randolph High and soccer player. “Once he joined the team, he joined a family. When you join the family, it’s hard to lose somebody like that.”

Cesar Salazar, a junior on the team, said Defreitas played soccer in a professional way, and taught the rest of the team a lot.

“Teammate is too little of a word to describe him. He was like a brother,” Salazar said. “I’m still shcoked my brother passed away. I wasn’t expecting it. He didn’t deserve it, he had a future ahead of him.”