FAIRFIELD — After days of searching, the body of Cora Marley was found Thursday morning in 4 feet of water at the Shawmut Dam in the Kennebec River.

A dam operator spotted the 62-year-old Skowhegan woman’s body about 7 a.m. in front of the dam grates, according to Fairfield police Chief John Emery.

The dam is about 3.7 miles from where her car crashed Saturday night into Martin Stream, which flows into the river.

Her body was recovered by Maine Warden Service, Maine State Police, Fairfield police and rescue department officials, then taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Emery said.

He considered the discovery a relief for the family. “Now there can be closure,” he said.

Kenneth Gagnon, Marley’s brother, echoed that thought late Thursday morning.

“It’s nice to have that finality,” he said.

Gagnon said law enforcement officials told his brother Richard Gagnon that Marley’s body had been found.

Kenneth Gagnon said his brother and a few other family members were in a boat on the river Thursday morning, looking for Marley’s body.

An extensive search for Marley’s body had been under way since Saturday evening when her 2004 Pontiac Vibe launched off an embankment beside a small bridge on U.S. Route 201 and soared more than 60 feet over the stream, then struck an abutment on the opposite embankment and went into the water.

Fairfield police Sgt. Matthew Bard said the front windshield and back window were missing when the silver Vibe was pulled from the water and it appeared that she had not worn a seat belt.

Officials said Marley had bruising on her chest and probably died instantly in the crash, Kenneth Gagnon said.

Air was found in Marley’s lungs, he said, which indicated she had not drowned.

Officials told him the body, being relatively buoyant, probably traveled quickly in the fast-moving stream to the Kennebec River.

Marley’s remains will be cremated and buried next to those of her husband Richard in Calvary Cemetery in Skowhegan, he said.

Kenneth Gagnon, the youngest of six siblings, said the family is extremely appreciative of all who took part in the search.

Since the crash, Marley’s family had watched the search from the bridge over Martin Stream and had walked the nearby shoreline.

On Thursday, as the family gathered in Skowhegan, he said their support for each other had helped make the tragedy bearable.

Beth Staples — 861-9252

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