Hey, there! Log in / Register
Police search Charles, harbor for missing man
By adamg on Wed, 02/17/2016 - 1:17pm
Searching the Charles near North Station around noon. Photo by Jennifer M.
NECN reports authorities are searching the Charles River near North Station for Zachary Marr, a Harvard resident who went missing after leaving the Bell in Hand early Saturday.
The Globe reports police are searching Boston Harbor as well.
Marr left the bar on a frigid night without a coat.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Ugh.
Why does this keep happening??? You can say that it's just because we are a city surrounded by water, with a lot of bars and young people... but it's always young college age males that somehow got separated from their friends. It's the same narrative again and again. And again they'll say it's an accident.
i like you
you're very efficient, what with answering your own question immediately after asking it.
do you think there is a conspiracy here? maybe you should hit up demoulas, they got a sale on tinfoil
Oh cmon...
I am not saying there's a vast conspiracy of serial killers making off with our good looking young men and doing god knows what and later dumping them in the water. I'm just saying there's a weird pattern. I don't know, are drunk guys drawn to the harbor to take a leak?? Maybe. I wouldn't know. It just strikes me as odd that nearly every winter we have the same exact story making headlines.
I know I pee in the harbor
Done it while drunk, and sober...also nearly got arrested for it late at night one time (tip: look for state police boats before you unzip). It's unfortunate but drunkenness+freezing temperatures can wreak havoc on the mind (see: people getting naked when freezing)
Winter
You are more likely to suffer hypothermia and not be able to self-rescue in the winter.
You are less likely to be seen falling into the water or ice in the winter.
There is less daylight in the Winter = more likely to fall.
There are a lot more students around in the winter - more of that age group with a high death rate from unintentional accidents.
So ... an incident in the summer that would be seen by many people in the evening daylight becomes "remember that time that Joe Dumbass got drunk and fell in the Harbor? And he climbed out on the ladder and screamed at us to wait for him, and we had to take him to his brother's place to get dry clothes". An incident in the winter becomes a tragedy.
I'll say it again
This has been going on since before the Union Oyster House opened.
OK, Easy Fix
Shut down the Union Oyster House.
It's not Boston, it's not new and it's not weird
"Weird" would be if something happened that made no sense given the circumstances. These deaths are all quite explainable by factors such as alcohol-related misjudgment and incapacity, and environmental and weather-related hazards. Are there other possible explanations? Yes, and they're all much less likely, and there is no evidence pointing to them. When you hear hoofbeats, look for horses.
Location
Location, location, location. It isn't an area you would want to be alone at 1:30am and having a few drinks in you. He is not the first to disappear down there.
I wonder
I wonder if they actually have a lead on him being in the river/harbor or if they're just doing their due diligence because that's where most of the missing people seem to end up.
Window of Opportunity
They are searching now because they can search now - a lot of ice melted away yesterday and the light is bright and the weather is clear.
Nobody reads anymore
the link the NECN article says the police had info that led them to this search
Article also says
"surveillance images show Marr didn't try to re-enter the establishment."
Weird. The guy texts his relatives to say they didn't let him in, but Bell In Hand says he didn't try to get back in (and that their cameras prove this).
drownings
Men frequently relive themselves into bodies of water. When a man urinates his blood pressure drops. If said man is drunk, the drop in blood pressure plus the difference in perspective due to the body of water, can cause him to fall in.
You'll note that you don't find many women falling into the bodies of water.
About that blood pressure thing
Are you sure that's true for all men? Apparently there's a medical condition that can cause a severe blood pressure drop during urination, but it sure doesn't sound common.
i always piss
in alleys or in the tunnels @ park street
has this saved my life?
its possible
PSA
If all these men were found with their fly's down, do you think the BPD could have some sort of PSA don't pee in the water or something? Or is it too much of a duh common sense thing, idk. The blood pressure dropping was a new one to me. Maybe if more guys knew that it's more dangerous than it seems they'll take their chances on an alleyway.
lol
who knows, growing up i spent my summers on a boat and learned that theres truly nothing more terrifying than large bodies of water at night
i avoid them at all costs, and recommend others do the same.
I know me pissing into middle
I know me pissing into middle of the surprisingly-narrow street that I thought was an alley seemed to save me from getting mugged as a young man in downtown Boston/ what was left of the Combat Zone 25 years ago- got laughed at by my would-be attackers
how did you know
they were going to mug/attack you?
because if i was going to mug somebody, a dude with his dick in his hand sounds like the easiest target and least likely to be able to fight back.
Yeah but
He could piss on you. Why take the chance?
if you cant handle a little urine
then you really shouldn't be out mugging people
Marr left the bar on one of
I thought we had established that this happened on Friday night, not Saturday night.
Yes, but
The overnight low was 8F on Friday night. He was still underdressed for that.
Changed that to "frigid night"
As mentioned, 8 degrees is still not something to go out into without a coat.
Not that I really think it changes anything
But the low point I saw for Saturday morning around 2 AM was 21 degrees. Wind chill brought it down further, but not quite to the single digits from what I've seen. Still very cold, though.
From Bell in Hand to Charles River?
If this guy had a few beers, and was walking around without a coat, why would he end up in the Charles River? He's not from Cambridge, or the city - wouldn't the Charles be a bit of a hike?
Not really
Not really
Maybe towards North Station?
North Station is about a 10 min walk away and maybe he was trying to catch a train somewhere? Also the Charles River is right behind North Station.
Good point. The Fitchburg
Good point. The Fitchburg Line out of North Station has a stop or two not far from Harvard.
Not at 2 in the morning.
Not at 2 in the morning.
That said
What places would he know in Boston? North Station has trains home.
Commuter Rail
Yes, per the Globe he came in to Boston that way. The first train out on Saturday morning wouldn't have been until 8:35, but maybe he figured he could shelter in the station until then.
An easy way to answer this
Go to your browser and type "maps.google.com".
It is 10 minute, half-mile walk.
Yeah, thanks
I know how to read a freakin map. I was trying to make the point that a possibly disoriented non-local kid who wasn't able to find his way back to the bar, found the route to North Station.
Someone should mention it, before all the speculating
I hope the guy turns up OK somewhere.
I hope he turns up soon,
I hope he turns up soon, period. I think the not knowing and waiting is the hardest part on families. I don't have much faith that Marr will be found safe and sound anymore, unfortunately.
:(