AUGUSTA — City police are investigating the death of a teenager at the site of the old Statler Tissue mill.

Deputy Chief Jared Mills, of the Augusta police, confirmed a 17-year-old boy was found dead around 5 p.m. Friday. Mills said the state medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine how the teen died, but police suspect it was suicide.

Mills said the body was initially reported by a canoeist or kayaker.

Doug Watts, of Augusta, said he and his wife, Lori, were canoeing on the Kennebec River from Sidney to Augusta when they saw the body hanging from an exterior wall of the mill facing the river. Most of the mill was torn down in 2009. Watts said they were closer to the scene than anyone but police.

“I was deliberately paddling right on the Statler shoreline ’cause we wanted to take a closer look,” Watts said.

Watts said police arrived at the mill. A city ambulance and a police cruiser were in Mill Park. Radio reports at the time indicated the park was evacuated.

Watts said they were met by police as they rounded a bend in the river. Police had left when Watts returned about 20 minutes later.


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