Andrew Neiman, a childhood friend of 'Bravo' star Andy Cohen, who went missing last month has been found dead along the shore of the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie. Neiman's family confirmed that his body was recovered last week after weeks-long search.
The 48-year-old actor and playwright went missing on May 21 after he walked out of Poughkeepsie's MidHudson Regional Hospital after suffering a psychotic break while visiting his family in Ulster County, his sister, Emily Abramson, had told Page Six. Neiman and Cohen both hail from St. Louis and attended the same camp and high school and have been lifelong friends.
Mysterious Death
Neiman's death was confirmed by friend Stephanie Saur after she began a GoFundMe page to help locate him following his disappearance last month. "We are utterly heartbroken to share the news that Andy's body was found on the shore of the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie. THANK YOU for generously supporting our four-week search effort," read a note on the GoFundMe page on Saturday.
Later, Neiman's sister, Abramson, also shared the news on Facebook. "Yesterday it was confirmed that the body found on the Hudson River shoreline in Poughkeepsie on Wednesday was indeed him," her post read.
"As before, when we were on the hunt to bring him home, your words of love and prayer and encouragement bring me great comfort at this time. Do not be afraid of saying the wrong thing. Thank you for being the web that I can fall into."
Talk show host Andy Cohen previously shared two missing persons flyer to his Facebook page earlier this month. The flyer detailed that Neiman was a "missing vulnerable adult with schizophrenia" and that he may be in need of medical attention.
Gone to Soon
Neiman graduated from Wesleyan College, leaves behind an 8-year-old daughter. He was a lifelong friend of Cohen and his death comes as major shock to the acting fraternity. However, both acting and writing stopped for Neiman after he suffered from schizophrenia. He was also diagnosed as bipolar.
According to his sister, before he went missing, Neiman also had suffered a psychotic break. Abramson had described her brother as a "wonderful, spiritual guy" with an adoration for his young daughter.
"He is incredibly quirky with deep passions for a variety of things, especially the performing arts and Shakespeare," Abramson had said in an interview two weeks ago.
That said, the exact cause of death is still unknown although it is being believed that Neiman probably drowned in the river after he lost mental balance. However, an official statement on the cause of his death is yet to be released.
Also, a statement from Cohen on Neiman's death is yet to arrive. So far, his spokesperson has declined to comment.
