UPDATE:


Detective work on both sides of the Hudson River has led to the identification of a drowned woman found floating near Jersey City's Newport community on Saturday, officials said yesterday.

The body of Yin Har Lau, 59, of Queens, was identified by her son just before noon yesterday at the state Regional Medical Examiner's Office in Newark, Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said.

There was no identification on Lau's body when it was retrieved from the river in the area of 31 River Court at about 8:30 a.m. Saturday, but she did have two New York City Transit Metrocards in her pocket, DeFazio said.

Homicide detectives from DeFazio's office, working with the New York Police Department's Transit Bureau, retrieved the use history of the cards and found one was last used in Woodside, Queens on Friday, DeFazio said.

Homicide detectives went to Woodside to speak to police and learned that an Asian woman was reported missing the day the card was last used, DeFazio said.

The detectives then contacted Lau's family, leading to her identification at the medical examiner's office, DeFazio said.

An autopsy has revealed that drowning was the cause of Lau's death, DeFazio said, adding there were no signs of trauma to her body.

Police do not know how Lau wound up in the river or where she entered the water, DeFazio said, adding the Metrocards had not been used in the PATH train system.

Unidentified woman found dead in Hudson River near Newport

Published: Monday, October 31, 2011, 3:00 AM
By Charles Hack/The Jersey Journal

The body of an unidentified middle-aged woman was recovered Saturday morning from the Hudson River near the Newport community in Jersey City, officials said yesterday.

The Jersey City Police Department was notified about a body floating close to the shore behind 31 River Court around 8:30 a.m., Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio said.

Responding firefighters removed the body from the water and the medical examiner declared the woman, who appeared to be Asian, dead at the scene at 8:55 a.m., DeFazio said.

The woman did not have any identification on her but two New York City transit Metrocards were found in her pocket, he said.

DeFazio said the prosecutor?s office is trying to identify the woman, who was wearing a brown floral print blouse, dark blue jeans, brown-hooded jacket and brown shoes.

There were ?no obvious signs of trauma? to the body, he said.

Anyone with information about this matter should contact the Prosecutor?s Office Homicide Unit at (201) 915-1345.