Saturday, September 1, 2007

Police: Body found likely father of Magic's Nelson

WILMINGTON, Del. -- Authorities pulled a body from the Delaware River on Saturday and there is a "strong likelihood" it is the missing father of Orlando Magic star Jameer Nelson, police said.

Floyd "Pete" Nelson, 57, an employee at a tugboat company, was last seen Thursday working in a dry dock area in the Philadelphia suburb of Chester, Pa. Divers and trained dogs searched the river all day Friday but the search was suspended around 4 p.m.

Police in Delaware said a boater called 911 on Saturday after spotting the body of a black male floating in the river near Fox Point Park in Wilmington. The body was recovered around 2 p.m.

There was a "strong likelihood" that the body was Floyd Nelson's but police were unable to confirm it, said Delaware State Police spokesman Sgt. Joshua A. Bushweller.

"We're going to do official fingerprinting, or a family member may do a positive identification," Bushweller said.

Floyd Nelson's lunch and car keys were found in the tug's kitchen area, and his car was nearby, according to Chester police. Nelson, a welder, has worked for the tub boat company for about a decade.

Jameer Nelson was a basketball standout at Chester High School and Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. He was a first-round draft pick in the 2004 NBA draft and is the starting point guard for the Magic.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press


Source: ESPN.com

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