City of Plainfield releases findings of investigation into death of missing man with autism
On Feb. 19 at about 3 p.m. police and Plainfield Fire & Rescue "broke through a considerable amount of ice in the Green Brook and recovered the remains of Connor Oldfield," the report said.
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Authorities in Plainfield have released the city's findings related to the search for Connor Oldfield, a 19-year-old man with autism who went missing Jan. 24 and was found dead on Feb. 19 in the icy waters of the Green Brook, a body of water separating Plainfield and North Plainfield.
Led by Plainfield Police Director James Abney, the investigation "relied heavily on assistance from partner agencies and the cooperation of residents who shared Ring and home security footage," officials said.
The investigation began when Oldfield's mother, Stephanie Senior, reported her son missing around 3 p.m. on Jan. 24. About an hour later, a "ping" was activated on Oldfield's phone showing an area roughly 10 blocks, or about 3,000 meters. Officers were redeployed from other assignments to search, according to police.
Efforts continued until midnight, "with negative results as concerns increased about the incoming snowstorm forecasted to bring 10+ inches of snow," the report said.
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According to officials, multiple partner agencies were brought into the search on Jan. 25, including the Union County Prosecutor's Office SVU and the Union County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit.
The K-9 unit arrived at 4:48 a.m., around the time it started to snow. The report stated, "The weather becomes extremely hazardous, hampering search efforts, but search efforts continue."
According to the report, over the ensuing weeks, partner agencies began "a series of daily coordination meetings" to facilitate "door-to-door canvassing, grid searches, visual checks of bodies of water within Plainfield, phone and technology checks, lead follow-ups, and expanded media outreach, often in below-freezing conditions."
Ring and surveillance footage was collected, with video eventually obtained that showed Oldfield "entering and walking along the Green Brook," officials said.
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Within five days of recovery, police received video from Jan. 24 showing someone believed to be Oldfield falling into the Green Brook and becoming completely submerged at approximately 2:17 p.m., the report stated.
Using this and other evidence, investigators focused the search in a roughly 0.7-mile area between Farragut Road and Watchung Ave., police said.
On Feb. 19, around 3 p.m., police and Plainfield Fire & Rescue "broke through a considerable amount of ice in the Green Brook and recovered the remains of Connor Oldfield," the report said.
The Medical Examiner determined the death was accidental drowning and showed no signs of foul play, according to officials. The ME's report put the time of death approximately between 2:20 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Jan. 24, about a half hour before Oldfield was reported missing.
