WATERVILLE — The body of a Waterville man who was believed to have entered the Kennebec River last week was found over the weekend, police said Monday.
The body of John Lessard, 42, was recovered Saturday morning near Fort Halifax Park in Winslow, Sgt. Jason Longley of the Waterville Police Department said in a statement.
Lessard’s body was found about a mile from where it is believed he initially entered the river Aug. 21, near the north end of the RiverWalk in downtown Waterville, Longley said.
His body was taken to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta, Longley said.
Officials have not released a cause of death, and the matter remains under investigation. It is not clear what led Lessard to enter the river.
Police and fire departments, along with the Maine Warden Service, spent several days last week searching the river for signs of Lessard. The search effort involved boats, divers, drones and an airplane.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less