SKOWHEGAN — Police searched the Skowhegan town manager’s office the day he apparently died by suicide, taking the step after finding evidence of child sexual abuse material on devices they seized from his Winslow home weeks prior.

Nicholas Nadeau, 32, also admitted to aspects of a sexually explicit Snapchat conversation a 14-year-old Florida girl reported in February, which triggered the criminal investigation.

Records do not indicate whether images of that girl were found on devices seized from Nadeau’s home and office. The materials recovered from the devices at Nadeau’s home depicted other children; police have not indicated the extent of their analysis of the devices from his office.

Those additional details of the investigation into Nadeau come from an affidavit requesting a second search warrant filed in Augusta District Court.

On Tuesday, the Morning Sentinel first obtained a search warrant the Maine State Police Special Victims Unit executed March 6 at Nadeau’s home on Stobie Street in Winslow.

Judge Amy Dieterich authorized the search of the Skowhegan town offices at 225 Water St. on March 17. Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said it was executed March 19.

That was the day Nadeau died, several officials said, although it is unclear if he died before or after the search. 

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner said the death appeared to be a suicide, but has declined to release other details. State police, in a statement Wednesday announcing the investigation, acknowledged only that Nadeau is now deceased.

He had not been charged with any crimes. Representatives of the state police and the Office of the Maine Attorney General, which reviewed the search warrant applications, both noted the investigation was in its early stages.

During the search of Nadeau’s home, police seized several electronic items. They were led there after the Special Victims Unit, formerly known as the Computer Crimes Unit, received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The anonymous tip alleged a man on Snapchat attempted to solicit sexually explicit images from a teenage girl, sent her explicit images of himself and child sexual abuse material of other girls, and exposed himself to her in a video call, court records show. The girl, and later police, identified the man as Nadeau because he had sent several photos apparently of himself, including a photo of an interview featuring Nadeau on Bangor-based WABI-TV.

Police also identified the girl and verified her identity through her parents, court records show. Her name is not used in court filings related to the search warrants.

In the affidavit requesting the search of the town offices, Sgt. Taylor Bagley wrote that Nadeau admitted in part to that conversation during the search of his home. 

“Nadeau never denied the accusations but stated he could not remember specifically,” the affidavit says. “Nadeau did, however, towards the end of the interview, admit to remembering having an online conversation with another person whom he says was pretending to be a 14-year-old female.” 

Nadeau also admitted to sending explicit pictures of himself to and requesting sexually explicit content from “numerous people he spoke to online, though he could not remember specifically if he had requested nude content from the female who was purporting to be 14 years old,” Bagley wrote.

He also told Bagley he often created and closed Snapchat accounts and could not remember for certain if the account in the tip that triggered the investigation was his.

The stepmother of the teenage girl from Florida also turned over Snapchat messages to police in that state, the affidavit says. The records included sexually explicit photos and videos of the girl, although it was unclear to investigators if she sent those to the account believed to be Nadeau’s.

On a cellphone seized from Nadeau’s Winslow property on March 6, analysts located numerous sexually explicit photos of children, the affidavit says. Some of the evidence appeared to have come from files associated with an account on X — formerly Twitter — linked to an email address in Nadeau’s name.

Lt. Jason Richards of the Special Victims Unit met with Skowhegan police Chief David Bucknam on March 16, three days before the search of the town office, to inquire if any of the seized items from the Winslow residence were town property, according to the affidavit.

Bucknam was unsure, but told Richards that the week before, Nadeau had approached him to tell him he had a new phone number, the affidavit says. Nadeau reportedly told Bucknam his town-issued phone was in a drawer in his office and he could not access it.

The search warrant for the town office indicates police were searching for more evidence of child sexual abuse material, among other related records and items.

Details of what police found in the March 19 search of the town office remain unclear. An evidence log filed with the court that afternoon indicates they seized several phones, a computer and a hard drive.

Donnie Zaluski, the town’s pollution control plant supervisor whom the select board named interim town manager Tuesday night, said in a phone call Thursday morning some of the items were town property and some were Nadeau’s personal property.

He said the town has been working with the state police to access any files they need that may be on town-owned devices.

Pressed Wednesday for more specifics of what police have analyzed on the seized electronic devices, Moss, the state police spokesperson, said: “I’m not going to get into specific investigative steps.”

Moss’ statement about the investigation Wednesday indicated it had been closed, and investigators were shifting their priorities to other active cases.

But Rebecca Graham, the official in charge of handling state police public records requests, said in a phone call Thursday that some administrative work related to the case is ongoing. 

A request for additional reports and records related to the investigation is pending. Graham said that because of the ages of the alleged victims it could take weeks to review the materials and determine what can be released.

Moss pointed to several reasons state police waited until Wednesday to make an announcement about the case.

“There is no set timeline for releasing information,” Moss said via email Thursday. “Barring a public safety emergency, decisions about when and what to release are made on a case-by-case basis.

“While we do not release information on every investigation, particularly suicides, we respond to media inquiries when we are able to provide clear and accurate details,” she said. “Our primary focus is on the victims and the integrity of the investigation. Also, not all aspects of an investigation become public, and what is released is determined with careful consideration.” 

Select Board Chair Whitney Cunliffe said Wednesday that Bucknam notified him of the investigation late on March 19, and that the rest of the board found out the next day. 

He said town officials did not make public comments about it at the time because it was a law enforcement investigation, and police had not yet said anything about it publicly. They announced his death to the public Sunday.

Cunliffe said in a separate statement Wednesday evening he would not speculate further on the investigation. Zaluski said in the statement the town would cooperate with any ongoing law enforcement investigation at the state or federal level.

“This is a deeply troubling and very difficult moment for our community,” Cunliffe said. “My thoughts are with anyone who may have been harmed, and with our town employees, who have continued to serve Skowhegan during an extraordinarily difficult time. Right now, the board’s focus is on supporting town staff, maintaining stability, and ensuring that the work of town government continues to move forward in a steady, professional, and responsible way.”

The other four select board members — Kevin Nelson, Ethan Liberty, Amber Lambke and Elijah Soll — referred inquiries to Zaluski and Cunliffe.

Nadeau had worked for the town for about 10 months. He began his tenure in Skowhegan in an interim capacity while also serving as interim town manager in his hometown of Fairfax, Vermont.

IF YOU NEED HELP

IF YOU or someone you know is in immediate danger, dial 911.

FOR ASSISTANCE during a mental health crisis, call or text 888-568-1112. To call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org.

FOR MORE SUPPORT, call the NAMI Maine Help Line at 800-464-5767 or email [email protected].

OTHER Maine resources for mental health, substance use disorder and other issues can be found by calling 211.

Kennebec Journal staff writer Keith Edwards contributed to this report.