Investigators from the state police on Sunday look into Moulthrop Brook, where the body of Andy Pike of Litchfield was found, and confer in the driveway of nearby True Value Hardware.

Andy Pike left behind a strong business, reputation and legacy when he died sometime over the weekend in a brook a few hundred feet from his home at 354 Bantam Road.

How Pike, 39, ended up dead in Moulthrop Brook might never be known, according to his father, Wilbur, who said family and friends don't know if Pike was walking to or from his home when he fell into the brook and died.

"We may never know what happened," Wilbur Pike said Monday.

Pike's body was found by friends around 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner ruled the death accidental but has yet to determine a cause.

The state police Western District Major Crime Squad, which was at the brook and Pike's home all afternoon and into the night on Sunday, is continuing its investigation.

Pike, 39, was a self-employed carpenter and well-known and respected in Litchfield, where he grew up and attended town schools. He embarked on his career in business after graduation from Hartwick College in 1993. His Pike Finishing Co. specializes in interior renovations of homes.

Pike's family became worried when he didn't show up for a family event on Saturday, Wilbur Pike said. Some of Pike's friends were called on Sunday and went to his home to look for him. That's when they found him in the brook. Wilbur Pike suspects that his son might have died sometime on Friday.

At Litchfield High School, Pike excelled in soccer, swimming and track and field. He was a record-setting swimmer and was the top pole-vaulter for the track and field team as a senior, when he was named the school's most outstanding male athlete.

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