Gloversville police seek 'closure' for family after body ID'd as missing man

The 48-year-old Gloversville area man, reported missing late last summer, was identified during an autopsy late Tuesday afternoon. His body was found a day earlier on a bank alongside the Cayadutta Creek in Gloversville by an unidentified member of the public.

Gloversville police spokesperson Bradley Schaffer declined to provide additional information surrounding the condition or discovery of the body in order to avoid compromising an active investigation.

“My feeling is that as law enforcement, collectively — our agency, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police — we have a duty and obligation to provide the family with all the answers that we possibly can,” Schaffer said. “And for that reason, the investigation will continue.”

Anderson was last seen on Old Peck Hill Road in the town of Johnstown following an argument with his mother.

Within a 268-day span, numerous sightings of Anderson were reported to authorities, all of which have since been deemed unfounded. Some sightings were reported as far away as the Rochester area.

The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office was the lead agency on the missing persons case.

“We tracked down dozens and dozens of leads and we’ll now compare all our other leads to what Gloversville comes up with to see if there’s any crossover,” said Sheriff Richard Giardino.

The Republican sheriff later clarified that the probe is now focused on how Anderson ended up at that point along the Cayadutta Creek, which stretches from the northern town of Johnstown to Fonda.

In December, Giardino described the case as “suspicious.” There isn’t enough evidence to gauge Anderson’s intentions, the sheriff noted at the time.

Anderson wasn’t known to go missing for long stretches of time, his sister Heather Fegley told the Daily Gazette Family of Newspapers last year.

Family members were notified about his autopsy report around 4:30 p.m, according to Schaffer. Among loved ones, he leaves behind two children and eight great nephews.

“I’m hoping they get justice for this,” Stacey Stuart, a 20-year friend, said of Anderson’s family.

Anderson, affectionately known as “Jim Bob” or “Jimmy,” was a social and generous man, Stuart recalled.

For some, he was known from his previous work as a cab driver and an employee at the since-closed That Tape Store in Johnstown. He had a wide network of friends and aquaintances across the Fulmont region.

“He was a loving good person with issues and everyone knows how that can be,” daughter Megan Anderson wrote in a public Facebook post. “I’ll forever miss you dad and I’m so so sorry this happened to you 💔.”

She is currently raising money to pay for her father’s funeral on GoFundMe. So far, more than $900 has been raised out of a $3,000 goal.

Meanwhile, Schaffer hopes to bring closure to the family by eventually bringing the investigation to a close. Gloversville police have been the lead agency per recovery efforts.

“We will pursue it to its logical conclusion to give the family all of the answers and closure that we can possibly provide,” Schaffer said.

Within a three-day span, about 25 Gloversville officers were involved in the case. The city received assistance from neighboring Johnstown, the county Sheriff’s Office, the county Office of Emergency Management and state police.

A portion of River Street near South Main Street and Beaver Street were blocked off until Thursday.

“People have been sketchy about it because it’s been up in the air,” said Ed Franco, who runs Bowman’s Market on nearby East Pine Street. “Cops have been everywhere, which is fine. They’re doing their jobs.”

There is no active threat to the public, according to officials.

Police have asked any members of the public with information on Anderson's death to call detective Lt. Luke Nellis at 518-773-4577.