Autopsy: Pittsburgh nurse drowned, manner of death undetermined

The autopsy of an Allegheny General Hospital nurse whose body was found in the Ohio River in West Virginia, determined that he drowned, city Public Safety Department spokeswoman Sonya Toler said Wednesday.

Pittsburgh Police recently received the final autopsy report on Paul Kochu from the medical examiner in West Virginia, Toler said.

The medical examiner left the manner of death as undetermined, she said.

“Whether it was accidental or whether it was intentional, the autopsy does not say,” Toler said. “Right now we have no other leads to pursue.”

Kochu, 22, originally from Pottstown, Montgomery County, was last seen during the early hours of Dec. 16 leaving a bar on the South Side. His body was found floating amid debris on the shore of Wheeling Island on March 19.

“The medical examiner told us, and put in his report, that my son's death was presumably a fresh water drowning under uncertain circumstances,” said Kochu's mother, Ellen Kochu.

Michael Hasch is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7820 or at mhasch@tribweb.com.