Police inTurks and Caicos foundthe body of a man amid an ongoing search for an American reported missing nearby almost two weeks earlier, local authorities said over the weekend. The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) said they received a call at around 5:06 p.m. local time reporting a "body seen in some bushes." Authorities immediately dispatched to the location along Miracle Close in Grace Bay and discovered the body,police said in a statement on Sunday. The dead man was not immediately named, but efforts are underway to confirm their identity. "The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force extends sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased," Acting Commissioner of Police Rodney Adamssaid in a statement on Sunday. Police shied away from making any direct connections between this discovery and the search for Brian Tarrence, a 51-year-old New York City residentwho was last seenat the Paradise Inn near Grace Bay Beach on June 25. Security footage showed Tarrence leaving his Paradise Inn condo at about 4 a.m. on June 25 and heading toward town in Grace Bay. "We urge members of the public to refrain from speculation and allow the investigation process to confirm the identity through official channels," Adams added. The missing man had been visiting Turks and Caicos with his wife. Carl DeFazio, a private investigator hired by the family, which NBC confirmed with his wife, said that the night Tarrence went missing, his wife had gone to bed early. Tarrence stayed up late to watch TV, according to DeFazio, before he went on his late-night stroll with his phone — but not his passport. "She got up two times, checked on him," DeFazio said. "He was watching TV or whatever. And then when she got up at 7 a.m., he was gone." A State Department spokesperson previously said the agency is "aware of a U.S. citizen missing in Turks and Caicos." "When a U.S. citizen is missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts, and we make every effort to keep lines of communication open with families as appropriate," the spokesperson said last week. "The Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad. We stand ready to provide consular assistance to U.S. citizens in need and their families."
