David Bird (journalist)

David Bird
Bird in February 2013, wearing the jacket he had on when he disappeared 11 months later
Born	David Christopher Bird Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
Disappeared	January 11, 2014 (aged 55) Millington, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	Presumed to be same as disappearance date Millington, New Jersey, U.S.
Cause of death	Accidental drowning
Body discovered	March 18, 2015, Passaic River
Citizenship	United States
Education	Notre Dame High School
Alma mater	Rider University
Employer	The Wall Street Journal
Known for	Reporting on energy markets
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)

David Christopher Bird (c. 1959–2014) was an American journalist who covered energy markets for The Wall Street Journal and was deputy managing editor for Dow Jones Energy Service. He was known for his ability to detect emerging market trends, particularly the decline in oil prices that began in 2014, before they otherwise became apparent, through close analysis of data. Before working at the Journal he had worked for Dow Jones overseas, based in its London office.^[1]

In early 2014 he left his Millington, New Jersey, home for a short walk and never returned. Local search efforts, hampered by that year's severe winter weather, failed to find any trace of him. Conspiracy theories surfaced, especially after an erroneous report that his credit card had been used overseas, suggesting his disappearance was part of a pattern of suspicious deaths in the financial sector. However, when his body was finally found in a nearby river 14 months later, the coroner ruled his death an accidental drowning and said there were no signs of foul play.

A native of the Trenton area, Bird was a graduate of Rider University. In addition to his journalistic work he was an outdoor enthusiast who led Boy Scout hiking trips and ran marathons. He did the latter to raise awareness for organ donation, since his life had been saved by a liver transplant following a hepatitis infection he suffered in the early 2000s.