Wanted to pass it on possible some of our group might have known this gentleman sent by
(Jim Rutledge nioio(a)gate.net )
An Allen County Public Library genealogist went missing this week in Toronto, and a body
matching his description was found in the Niagara River the next day.
Ronald "Ryan" Taylor, 56, of Fort Wayne has been missing since Sunday night,
according to Toronto police. Taylor, a native of Canada, was visiting Toronto for the
taping of his TV show, "Ancestors in the Attic," according to
www.interlinkbookshop.com, a genealogical site.
Russell Jackman II, the Niagara County Coroner in New York state, said the U.S. Coast
Guard found the body of a heavyset man in his 50s on Monday in the Niagara River near a
section called Devil's Hole.
Jackman said Friday he was waiting on dental records to confirm the man's identity. He
said the man had a white beard and was not wearing clothes.
According to Toronto police, Taylor is 300 pounds with a heavy build, wore steel-rimmed
glasses and has a full gray beard and moustache. The police reported he suffers from
diabetes and depression, which required daily medication.
Jackman said he would release further details after confirming the man's identity and
informing his family. The Fort Wayne Police Department had not heard of the case as of
Friday morning.
Jeff Krull, director of the Allen County Public Library, said an e-mail was sent to the
staff saying a body matching Taylor's description was found Monday. He said
Taylor's main focus at the library was cataloging in the genealogy department.
By Friday afternoon, the Interlink Web site had a tribute column to Taylor written by
fellow genealogist Dave Obee.
Obee wrote, "The death of Ryan Taylor is a loss for genealogists across Canada and
the United States. He touched hearts and minds from coast to coast as a speaker and as an
author. In his role as a genealogy librarian at the Allen County library in Fort Wayne, he
was able to help genealogists from across the continent."
The Web site states that Taylor was born in Oshawa, Ontario, and educated at Carleton
University and the University of Ottawa. He has been a librarian since 1972 and began
working in Allen County in 1994. He is on the faculty of the National Institute of
Genealogical Studies and is one of the hosts of "Ancestors in the Attic," a
History Television show scheduled to premiere in Canada in October.