January 14, 2017
Officials announced Saturday that the body of a former South Jersey marine was found in a lake after more than a month of searching.
Camden County officials said that the body of Lance James, 29, was found Friday in Clementon, New Jersey. He was last seen Dec. 2 after he left a local bar.
Officials said that they haven't yet determined a cause of death but that there are no signs of trauma so far in their investigation.
James served two tours in the Middle East with the U.S. Marine Corps and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to NJ.com.
James was last seen after getting into an altercation at a Clementon bar in early December, according to the paper. He left the bar and walked home without a phone.
The former marine's family set up a GoFundMe page during the search to raise money for a potential reward to anyone with information. James had a 5-year-old daughter, according to the crowdfunding page.
"There are no words to express the deep hurt, heartache and anger we feel," Jessica Hassan, James' sister, wrote in a heartfelt Facebook post published Saturday. "Although we are grateful to have some closure on these hard last 42 days, this is not the ending we wanted."
Others shared similar messages.
