SHEFFIELD — A federal investigation was underway Thursday in a field next to the Housatonic River as police worked to collect evidence, but authorities are currently withholding the nature of the probe.
Shortly after 7 p.m., the Sheffield Police Department released a statement on its Facebook page.
“The operation is an evidence collection operation and is not connected to any other cases in Berkshire County,” it said.
A spokesman for the FBI says there is no risk to the public, but could offer no further comment to “protect the integrity of the investigation.”
“The FBI’s Evidence Response Team, along with our law enforcement partners, are on scene in connection with an ongoing investigation,” said Kristen Setera, of the FBI’s Boston Division. “We are searching for specific evidence and there is no threat to public safety.”
Law enforcement sources have told The Eagle that the investigation is unrelated to the disappearance of Meghan Marohn, a New York state woman who went missing in late March. Her car was found at a South Lee trailhead.
The Berkshire County Law Enforcement Task Force attached to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office also has been at the scene, set up at a rest area off Route 7, since Thursday morning.
In a field across the river, police are working with an excavator and a grader, as well as other equipment.
Andrew McKeever, the DA’s public information officer, referred all questions to Setera.