Funeral services have not yet been finalized for the Brooklyn designer Jay Ott, whose body was found Friday in the East River.
Ott, the design director for Crippen and Rosetta Getty, was last seen by friends in late March. His father, Robert, declined comment Saturday other than to say arrangements for any services have not been finalized.
A New York Police Department harbor boat found the 31-year-old Ott’s body Friday at 11:10 a.m. near Pier 4 in Bushwick. While the NYPD said he was last seen leaving his McKibbin Street apartment in Bushwick on March 22, a friend of Ott’s involved with his search had said surveillance camera footage showed him in the early hours of March 23 entering the Manhattan Bridge. It was not known whether he exited on the Manhattan side, the friend said.
An autopsy will be conducted by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office. A spokeswoman for the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office said Monday, Ott’s cause of death is “pending other studies.” She declined to comment on the initial examination’s findings.
The elder Ott relocated to New York to lead the civilian search for his son, by organizing teams of friends to search the streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan and posting “Missing” notices.
Born in Toledo, Ohio, Ott studied at the University of Cincinatti’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning before moving to New York. As an undergrad, he interned for such designers as Ralph Rucci and Stan Herman. Prior to joining The Dock Group, he worked for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s collection The Row for a few years. Ott also had a seven-month run at J.Mendel.
Matt Walker, chief executive officer of The Dock Group, said Saturday, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague and friend. Our thoughts are with his family during this very difficult time.”