TOMS RIVER – A 52-year-old township man who hasn’t been seen or heard from since Christmas Day was found deceased in Shelter Cove Park, officials said.
Police discovered the body of a man floating in the water adjacent to the coastal marsh. The man was later identified as Deane Labranche of Toms River, and he was brought to Community Medical Center pending a post-mortem examination.
“While this death is currently under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Toms River Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, there does not appear, at this time, to be any foul play involved,” Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer stated.
A family member said LaBranche last spoke to his sister Brooke Spurlock of California on the phone on Christmas Day. Spurlock posted on Facebook that LaBranche, who also goes by the nickname Dino, had been reported missing January 4 after Toms River Police found his car abandoned at Shelter Cove.
