David Bird, the 55-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter who mysteriously disappeared 14 months ago, was found dead on Thursday. Local authorities tell NBC News and the Associated Press that two men came across Bird’s remains while canoeing in the Passaic River in Morris County, New Jersey.

Bird vanished in January 2014 after leaving his family’s home in Long Hill Township for a walk in the nearby woods. He left behind his cell phone and medication that he had been taking to treat a life-threatening liver condition. Shortly after he was reported missing, one of his credit cards was reportedly used to process a transaction in Mexico.

As the search for Bird was underway, NBC New York reported that his family had expressed fears his disappearance was connected to his coverage of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The international body determines petroleum pricing policies for its member states in Africa, South America, and southwest Asia.

In the year since he went missing, neither Morris County investigators nor the local police was able to determine why Bird disappeared. They have not yet found the cause of death, either. In a statement posted on a website dedicated to the search for the reporter, Bird’s family members said they have “no further statement at this time.”

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