Officials identify body pulled from Youghiogheny River in Fayette County
UPDATE: The man was identified as 42-year-old William Guidi of Somerset.
The Fayette County Coroner's Office said investigators were able to confirm his identity through rapid DNA testing and advanced finger print analysis. It appears Guidi accidentally drowned, but his cause of death is pending toxicology reports, the coroner's office said.
The previous story from March 15, 2026, is below.
Fayette County authorities are asking the public for help identifying the body pulled from the Youghiogheny River over the weekend.
Two fishermen found the body in the water near Dawson Borough on Sunday. Now, Pennsylvania State Police and Fayette County Coroner Dr. Bob Baker are asking for the public's help to determine who this man was and how he ended up in the water.
As of Tuesday evening, investigators have not identified the man. He was found with no wallet or cell phone.
"He was bald, athletic build, with a tattoo of a mountain range on his right scapula or right shoulder blade area. And he appears to be in hiking clothes," Dr. Baker said on Monday.
In an update on Tuesday, state police said the man was wearing a burnt orange Mountain Hardware jacket, Black Diamond gray pants and Muck Boots that were brown/green. State police described him as 5-foot-11, 182 pounds and approximately 25 to 40 years old.
Authorities have said they are searching missing persons databases in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, but as of Tuesday evening, no one reported missing matches the description of this person.
Dr. Baker said on Monday that investigators don't believe that this man was in the water for an extended period. Baker added that there doesn't appear to be any signs of foul play, but he said they are still waiting for the results of an autopsy to come back, which should provide investigators with more information.
"It could be somebody who was hiking on the Great Allegheny Passage, potentially. We are not going to rule out any possibilities at this time," Dr. Baker said on Monday. "Whether they were fishing, if they were hiking, the possibilities are endless at this time."
Anyone with information on this person is asked to contact the Fayette County Coroner's Office at 724-430-1270.
