Body found in Boston Harbor as search for missing sailor continues

BOSTON -- Police dive teams found a body in Boston Harbor.

The discovery came just days after a Navy sailor went missing while in Boston on leave.

Wednesday afternoon's search was centered around the New England Aquarium.

Friends lost track of 26-year-old Petty Officer Dustin Willis during a snow storm at Quincy Market Friday night. He hasn't been seen or heard from since.

The discovered body was taken to the medical examiner's office. Authorities have not positively identified the body as that of Willis.

Willis' cell phone was later found on the ground in front of a Boston restaurant by the aquarium. Police say he used the phone earlier in the evening to call his girlfriend and his parents in North Carolina.

Investigators say they have no reason to suspect foul play, but haven't ruled it out, either.

"There's no indication of foul play, but I must stress that that kind of determination has to be made by the medial examiner," Commisioner Ed Davis, of the Boston Police Department, said.

The Navy is officially calling the disappearance an "unauthorized absence." But a spokesman describes the sailor as "dependable and reliable" and says it would be out of character for him to just walk away. Willis has been in the Navy four years and recently received an achievement medal.

The USS Donald Cook arrived in Boston last week to take part in St. Patrick's Day festivities. 

The Navy destroyer is scheduled to leave Boston today, with or without a missing sailor.

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