Body of Towson University student who went missing in Potomac River is found

The body of a Towson University student who went missing in the Potomac River on Sunday night was recovered Tuesday afternoon, ending a daylong, multi-agency search, Montgomery County officials said.

Towson University confirmed that 20-year-old Nazir Bell of Germantown, a student at the college, had died.

“The TU community is heartbroken by the loss of student Nazir Bell and we join his family, friends and loved ones in the mourning of his tragic passing,” a spokesperson for Towson University said in an email Tuesday evening.

The Montgomery County Fire Department did not identify the victim in a post on the social media platform X, but the swimmer’s family told local news stations that he was Bell.

A flier circulated when he went missing identified him as a graduate of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.

Bell went missing around 6:15 p.m. Sunday near Billy Goat Trail A in the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, officials said. He and others were swimming along the Maryland shoreline toward the Virginia shoreline, near Great Falls, authorities said.

The stretch of river can appear deceivingly calm and is known for its powerful and dangerous currents.

Agencies from Montgomery and Fairfax counties and the U.S. Park Police aided in the search.

“Throughout the operation, family members remained nearby, holding vigil and awaiting word from responders,” said Peter Piringer, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Fire Department. “Our thoughts are with the family.”