Editor’s note: This story was updated with new information on June 4.
The body of a 66-year-old Brookline man was found in the Brookline Reservoir on Monday, May 20, according to the Brookline Police Department.
The man, later identified as Tim Byrne, was pulled from the water early that morning. First responders attempted CPR before transporting him to Beth Israel Hospital, where he was pronounced dead according to Brookline Police Deputy Superintendent Paul Campbell.
Byrne’s death appears to be a suicide, police said.
Byrne was a veteran, according to a former neighbor, Laura Paskavitz. (Brookline.News could not independently verify his military status).
He lived in a Brookline Housing Authority building until just before the Covid-19 pandemic, she said
“He was working on [a project] about the things that changed U.S. history in the year 1968. It was a labor of love for him,” Paskavitz said.
Byrne, a night owl, loved baseball, and would regularly watch games on television in a common room in their building, she said.
“He also bought food every Christmas so that we, as a building, could have a holiday meal,” Paskavitz said.
No family members of Byrne could be reached, and there was no death notice published for him online.
If you or someone you know are having thoughts of suicide, you are not alone. Dial 988 or 1-800-273-8255 for the Lifeline.
Other resources include: 24/7 Suicide Hotline for LGBTQ Youth – We’re here for you Now (thetrevorproject.org)
Hey Sam | Samaritans (samaritanshope.org)
Resources (mcspnow.com) (Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention)