Dismembered human remains found in Shirley have been identified as those of a 69-year-old man, according to prosecutors who suspect foul play.
The victim has been identified as Peter Degan, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan confirmed. Degan was most recently living in a pre-release house in Rockland after pleading guilty to charges related to cocaine trafficking in Suffolk County in 2019.
He was last seen alive last Friday.
A group of young people discovered what they initially thought was a human leg while walking over the Maritime Veterans Memorial Bridge on Wednesday evening. Police responded promptly and confirmed the remains were indeed a human leg.
Preliminary information indicates that foul play was involved, and an investigation is currently ongoing.
Shirley police, alongside State Police troopers assigned to the DA’s office and the Massachusetts State Police Underwater Recovery Unit, began searching the area. They were able to recover additional body parts from the water. According to DA Ryan, these parts appear to have been clean cut—severed with a sharp force instrument.
“We did not recover a full body. The search is continuing for additional body parts, but we were able to make an identification from the body parts that were recovered,” Ryan said. Degan was identified using fingerprint evidence.
Degan served at least part of his sentence at MCI-Shirley before being released to the pre-release house in Rockland where he was living.
Prosecutors do not believe his death was random.
Authorities are asking anyone who saw Degan since last Friday or who noticed anything suspicious in the area of the bridge or Samson Pond to come forward.
“We need the public’s help to determine what occurred here today,” said Shirley Police Chief Samuel Santiago. “I know we have a lot of residents that are concerned, and I want to assure them that we’re here for you. We’re here to support you, to provide you with that public safety that we’ve been providing.”
The investigation continues as authorities work to uncover more details about this tragic case.
https://www.boston.com/news/crime/2026/03/05/dismembered-human-remains-found-in-shirley-identified-as-69-year-old-man/