YORK COUNTY, Pa. — A body that was found in the Susquehanna River earlier this week has been identified as Padam Rizal, the Dauphin County man who has been missing since February, the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office confirms to FOX43.
A fisherman located the body around 8:30 a.m. Sunday.
Rizal’s vehicle was found abandoned on the Interstate 83 bridge over the Susquehanna River three months prior, on February 22 around 1 a.m. The 49-year-old man was last seen during the afternoon hours of February 21.
The coroner’s office tells FOX43 that Rizal’s cause of death was fresh water drowning. It has been ruled a suicide.
Rizal served on the Pennsylvania Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. Gov. Tom Wolf issued this statement:
“Frances and I are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Padam Rizal, a member of my Pennsylvania Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. Our sympathies go out to his family, the Harrisburg and broader Bhutanese community, fellow commissioners, friends and associates who mourn his loss.
“From a childhood spent exposed to ethnic cleansing in Southern Bhutan, he spent time in refugee camps in Nepal, which shaped his groundbreaking work on refugee resettlement and education. That work is known internationally and considered a model for refugee education, ensuring Padam’s legacy will live on in service to others.
“It is our sincere hope that Padam’s passionate dedication to his work to help others in the Asian Pacific American communities is not only his legacy, but also a comfort to his family and friends in this difficult time.
“Those of us who knew Padam are grateful for his many contributions to the commonwealth and will miss his indomitable spirit, kindness and compassion for all.”
