MAINE, USA — Maine State Police said they failed to follow department policy when a trooper had a vehicle towed that ended up belonging to missing Richmond woman Anneliese Heinig, a 37-year-old mother of two.
The abandoned SUV was towed from I-295 between exits 9 & 10 northbound on Tuesday, November 26, 2019.
The Portland Press Herald reports Cpl. Fern Cloutier discovered the 2008 Mercury Mariner.
He made no effort to contact the owner of the SUV parked along Interstate 295 and did not inventory the vehicle’s contents before he ordered it towed and impounded, potentially delaying the search for Heinig.
The vehicle is owned by Heinig's parents, who have said they would have known something was wrong and initiated a search if they had been called that day.
As of Friday, December 6, 2019, the search is ongoing.
The Falmouth Police Department, Maine State Police, Maine Marine Patrol, Maine Warden Service, Richmond Police Department, Portland Police Department, and Falmouth Fire Department are participating in the search.
The search has primarily taken place in the areas just off of I-295 in Falmouth as well as on Middle Road and Route 9 along the Presumpscot River Bridge in Falmouth.
The Falmouth Police Department is requesting information from drivers who were traveling I-295 between exits 9 & 10 northbound on the morning of Tuesday, November 26th.
Police say they're specifically interested in vehicles equipped with dash-mounted cameras, or any personal observations made of either Ms. Heinig or her black 2008 Mercury Mariner SUV.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Falmouth Police Lieutenant Jeffrey Pardue at (207) 781-2300.