Body of Columbia County man recovered at Bash Bish Falls

MOUNT WASHINGTON, Mass — The body of a Columbia County man who slipped on a rock and fell into a section of Bash Bish Falls on Friday, July 28 has been recovered, six days after authorities were unsure if they would be able to remove it.

Authorities on Saturday removed 21-year-old Aiden Campion-Pratt, of Ghent, NY, from the falls located on the New York/Massachusetts state line, according to Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless.

Campion-Pratt’s body apparently became dislodged by natural means overnight on Friday, the same evening a memorial service was held in his memory.

The body was transported to the Holyoke chief medical examiner’s office in Massachusetts for an examination on Sunday.

“We are grateful that Aiden will be returned to his family and that a measure of closure can be theirs,” Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless said. “Our gratitude also goes out to the many investigators and rescue personnel who made this possible.”

The body was originally located with the help of an underwater camera on Sunday, July 30. However, Rescuers were unable to retrieve the body due to its location in a crevice beneath the surface.

According to his obituary, Campion-Pratt was a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, and an avid soccer fan.

Those involved in the search and recovery effort included members of the Western Massachusetts Technical Rescue Team, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Columbia County, New York Sheriff’s Department, the Berkshire County Sheriff’s Department, Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s Office, the Pittsfield Fire Department, the Egremont Fire Department, the Southern Berkshire Ambulance squad, state troopers assigned to the Lee barracks, the New York State Police, the Copake Fire Department, the Columbia County fire coordinator, the Berkshire County fire coordinator and Fastracs Excavating of Red Hook.