LITTLE FALLS, New York — Body Recovered from Barge Canal in Herkimer County: On June 30, 2015, at approximately 4:30 am, a Canal Structure Operator for the New York State Canal Corporation observed a floating body at Lock 17 in the City of Little Falls.
The body was removed from the water and identified as Ernest C. Hoke Jr., age 48, from Herkimer, NY. The body was then removed from the scene and transported to Little Falls Hospital pending an autopsy.
If anyone has information about this case or who may have seen Mr. Hoke in the past few days they are asked to contact State Police in Herkimer at (315) 866-7275.
State Police were assisted at scene by the Little Falls Police Department, Little Falls Fire Department and the New York State Canal Authority.
The New York State Canal System is a successor to the Erie Canal and other canals within New York. Currently, the 525-mile system is composed of the Erie Canal, the Oswego Canal, the Cayuga-Seneca Canal, and the Champlain Canal.
Little Falls is a city in Herkimer County, New York, USA. The population was 4,946 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from a small cataract near the city.
