GARDNER, Mass. — Search crews have recovered the body of a man who has been missing since he escaped from a Massachusetts hospital in October, the district attorney said Thursday.
Authorities identified Leonard Mercury, 57, of Acton, after search crews pulled his body from Crystal Lake in Gardner, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early said in a statement.
Mercury was last seen leaving Heywood Hospital in Gardner, where he was being held for a mental health evaluation, shortly before 2 a.m. on Oct. 31, 2025.
Mercury broke a window at Heywood Hospital and jumped from the roof into the bushes below before fleeing the property, according to an email from the hospital to Mercury’s wife, Nicole La Guerre.
Gardner police seek public’s help searching for a missing man, concerned about his well-being
La Guerre appealed to the public for help in finding her husband shortly after he went missing.
“I am expecting the absolute worst. I’m hoping that what my brain is saying is not what’s happening,” La Guerre, who shares two sons with Mercury, told Boston 25 in early November.
At the time, Gardner Police searched for Mercury but were unable to locate him.
Over several months, several searches also involved Westminster Police, the Massachusetts Environmental Police, the Massachusetts State Police Dive Team, the Massachusetts State Police Special Emergency Response Team, and the Massachusetts State Police Marine and K-9 units.
On Wednesday, Gardner Police conducted an aerial search of Crystal Lake using drone technology.
The drones revealed what appeared to be a human body floating in the water, Early said.
The Massachusetts State Police Dive Team then recovered Mercury’s body.
An autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death, Early said.
The incident remains under investigation by Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, State Police Crime Scene Services, and the police departments in Gardner and Westminster.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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