After a five-week search, the Garden State Underwater Recovery Unit finally found on Saturday noon the body of 21-year-old student Shane Montgomery. He was found at the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.

The river is just behind the Manayunk Brewery Company along Main Street, near a pub where the senior at West Chester University went out with friends in the early morning of Thanksgiving Day. According to his mother, Karen Montgomery, he left Kildare's Irish Pub in the Manayunk neighborhood at around 2 a.m.

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Since then, nothing was heard about him. The family offered a reward to anyone who could help locate Shane, and donations increased the reward to more than US$65,000.

Two weeks ago, investigators got a breakthrough when they found his car keys near the river. The probers were able to secure CCTV footage that showed Shane walking towards the parking lot along the river's bank.

Capt. James Kelly, a Philadelphia detective, told Fox 29 that the footage showed no one followed Shane, although they pointed out that the student could have been picked up or met somebody outside the range of the CCTV's camera.

Until Saturday, his family only felt frustration because of the lack of leads. Karen was then quoted as saying, "It's a nightmare I can't wake up from."

With the retrieval of Shane's body, some questions still remain such as what really happened to him. But for her, there is partial relief because they were able to locate and bring Shane home, Karen shared on Facebook.

The family also released a statement on Saturday that thanked everyone involved in the search and recovery and sought continued prayer for them. At the same time, they requested that their privacy be respected to give them time to mourn together as family.

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