TAOS — Taos County sheriff’s deputies closed the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge to traffic Tuesday morning to recover the remains of Patrick Flanigan, 37, of Albuquerque from beneath the bridge.

Sheriff Steve Miera said in a statement Flanigan's death appeared to be linked to a report made Monday of an individual who had jumped off the bridge. Deputies confirmed the death and launched the recovery effort.

The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge has been the site of scores of suicides since construction finished in 1965. For many years, people have called for safety measures — higher railings, nets or fencing, for example — to be implemented.

"Undersheriff [Gabriel] Ortiz briefly spoke with a [New Mexico Department of Transportation] engineer who happened to be there on a different issue and reiterated the

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