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Update: Body of missing man recovered in Mattituck Thursday

The body of Richard Hart, a Mattituck man who had been missing since Sunday, was found on the shore of Mattituck Inlet Thursday morning, Southold Town police said.

Richard Hart, a resident of Westphalia Road in Mattituck, was reported missing shortly after his wife Catherine Hart returned home from work Sunday around 5 p.m. and found he wasn’t home. Ms. Hart said on Wednesday afternoon that her husband has health issues, but was sharp and had never wandered. She lives in the house with her husband, who’s a retired dentist, and son.

Family members declined comment Thursday.

On Wednesday, Ms. Hart expressed thanks for the help of neighbors over the past several days.

“Everyone has been looking,” she said while standing in the entryway of their home that overlooks Mattituck Creek. “The police and our neighbors have been wonderful.”

Police and members of the Mattituck Fire Department began a search Sunday evening, she said. Her husband’s hat was found in the water near the dock Sunday night.

“Once they found the hat …” she said, her voice trailing off.

Divers searched the water Sunday and Monday, she said. They continued again Wednesday into Thursday.

Photo caption: A view of the dock in the back of the Mattituck home where Mr. Hart was last seen. (Credit: Steve Wick)