By David Lohr

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(Continued)

Milo's body was found in the St. Joseph River.  That same day, police discovered a body in the same stretch of river.  Investigators expected the body to be identified as Vivian, but the medical examiner later identified it to be Thomas Miller, a 48-year-old man who went missing in November.

Despite everyone's reservations, Monday turned out to be a sad day for Vivian's family, when South Bend Police positively identified the victim pulled from the river as Vivian Borysiak.  According to Capt. John Williams, the coroner ruled her death an accidental drowning.  The department now considers the case closed.  Police suspect Vivian was not discovered sooner because the river depth only recently went down, making it easier to spot her body.  Capt. Williams said he could only speculate on what might have happened.

Vivian Borysiak

"We think the dog took off, she took off after the dog, and the dog went out on the ice," Williams told the South Bend Tribune.  "The dog fell through the ice, and she fell through also.  That's not carved in stone; we have no witnesses.  We may never know."

After the identification was made public, Vivian's daughter, Katie Toothaker, spoke briefly with news station WSBT-TV.

"In life we cannot make sense of tragedies such as this," Katie said.  "However, we must still celebrate the life that Vivian Lee Borysiak lived, her vitality and love, which will be forever remembered and missed.  Her soul is now at peace."

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Contact  David Lohr at           crimewriter74@hughes.net

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