Spring Break
The Daily OrangeUPDATED: Police confirm death of Ra Ra Riot drummer
Officials uncertain why SU graduate's body was found in water
By Melissa Daniels
Posted: 6/5/07, 12:35 AM EST Section: News
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JUNE 4, 12:59 P.M. - 2006 Syracuse University graduate and Ra Ra Riot drummer John Pike was found dead Sunday afternoon by New Bedford Police Department after an extensive search on a southern Massachusetts peninsula.
Ra Ra Riot is an indie-pop band made up of six SU graduates.
Pike was found by a search boat in seven feet of water at 3:53 p.m. in Wilbur's Point, said Fairhaven Police Department Chief Gary F. Souza. He was about 250 feet from the shoreline.
"We're not reaching any conjunctions at this point why he was in the water," Souza said.
He was last seen leaving a house party at about 3 a.m. early Saturday morning in Fairhaven, Mass. after playing a show in Providence, R.I. His Blackberry cell phone was found on a beach on Sconticut Neck peninsula about 200 yards from the house party.
The Fairhaven Police Department began searching for Pike, 23, when he was reported missing Saturday afternoon, Souza said. The search continued until about 8 p.m.
"We decided to treat it as a missing person right off the bat," he said. Pike was from Hamilton, Mass., and may not have been familiar with the area, Souza said.
"On Sunday morning, we started out at first light with a really extensive search," Souza said. "We also brought a component with approximately 18 divers and boats from all over southeastern Mass."
About 20 area police departments were involved in the search, Souza said.
"A police boat was able to site him from the surface at low tide in approximately seven feet of water based upon the fact he was wearing a yellow T-shirt," Souza said.
Police found Pike fully-clothed, with his wallet in his pocket, Souza said. Police will treat the case as a crime scene.
"We always treat unexplained, unwitnessed death of an apparently healthy person as a crime scene until we receive different information that shows it was not a crime," he said.
Souza said no weapons were recovered on the beach or in the water.
Pike's body was taken to Massachusetts Medical Examiner's Office for an expected autopsy today. The case will also be handled by Bristol County district attorney's office.
Pike attended the house party Friday night after playing a show in Providence, R.I., the first of a 17-city tour that was scheduled to end Aug. 12 in Cambridge, Mass. Ra Ra Riot was also planned to perform at Monolith Festival on Sept. 14 with The Flaming Lips, The Decemberists, Spoon and other bands.
As of Monday evening, the band's June 8 performance at Sweet Jane's in Hartford, Conn. has been cancelled, according to the band's MySpace page. The status of the rest of the band's tour and festival performance are still unknown.
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