Missing Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar's laptop computer was found at the bottom of the Susquehanna River Saturday morning -- without the hard drive.

Arguably the most sought-after piece of evidence since Gricar mysteriously disappeared April 15, the laptop was discovered by two fishermen in the area of the Route 45 bridge between Lewisburg and Milton, according to a Bellefonte Police Department press release.

"It really shocked everybody that the laptop turned up before he did," said Tony Gricar, Ray Gricar's nephew. "It's disconcerting. It makes you pause and wonder -- if he's not in that river, then where is he?"

Bellefonte Police Chief Duane Dixon said it was not unusual for the laptop to turn up before any evidence of Ray Gricar's whereabouts.

"There have been documented cases of bodies that have shown up months later," he said. "If they made it past the dam, they could be more toward Harrisburg."

Dixon said that unless police come up with any new leads or information, no other dives are scheduled. He added that police are continuing to track Ray Gricar's e-mail and financial records.

Gricar was last heard from by his girlfriend and housemate Patty Fornicola at about 6:30 p.m. April 15, when he called her from his cell phone to say he was driving on Route 192. The following day, Gricar's red-and-white Mini Cooper was found near an antiques market in Lewisburg. The unsolved disappearance of the District Attorney has elicited the help of the FBI and commanded national media attention.

Tony Gricar said the discovery of the laptop sent shock waves through the family, including Fornicola, who is overwhelmed and generally not accepting interview requests, he said.

"Yesterday was the first time I've been shocked since we got the first phone call [to say he was missing]," Tony Gricar said. "Foul play's not something you want to think of. It's a brutality that should not happen to anyone."

Dixon said the Gricar family suggested the FBI take over the case. However, he said they could not because the case is still classified as "missing persons" and unless evidence of foul play emerges, the FBI cannot take over.

"There's not much more they would do that we haven't already," he said.

Dixon said it is "not too likely" that the hard drive fell out of the laptop on its own. Because the hard drive is missing, Ray Gricar's family members are beginning to believe he was a victim of foul play, Tony Gricar said.

"It really kind of hits you in the stomach," he said. "It's more heavily weighted toward foul play."

Dixon said police are still not officially ruling out anything, and suicide and the possibility that Gricar is still alive are also still being entertained.

"I believe he is no longer with us," Dixon said, "but that's just my personal opinion."

Family members weren't notified about the recovered laptop until Sunday because police wanted to conduct the search Sunday without media attention, Dixon said. The investigation included a Sunbury Fire Department diving team, who scoured the river between Lewisburg and Milton on Saturday and again on Sunday to look for more evidence.

"They hit it really hard yesterday," Dixon said. He added that the low water level and the "fantastic" visibility aided the divers' search.

Since the hard drive is missing from the laptop, Dixon said it is useless for information in the disappearance and even if the hard drive was intact, there still could have been a possibility that no information would be obtained because of water damage.

"We're not going to get any information off of it. It's not going to lead us in one way or another," Dixon said.