WASHINGTON COUNTY, Maine — A body recovered in the northwest area of Pocumcus Lake on Monday has been identified as 62-year-old Lowell Wheaton, of Old Town, officials said.
Wheaton had been reported missing since April 27 and was presumed drowned in the Washington County lake, a news release from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife said.
His body was recovered by the Maine Warden Service after it was spotted by a camp owner around 10 a.m. Monday, according to the release.
Wheaton had been missing since he reportedly traveled to his camp on Pocumcus Lake on April 27. The next day, on April 28, his canoe with an attached outboard motor was found drifting on the lake, triggering a large-scale search of the area.
The lake, along with surrounding shorelines, roads, and woods, were searched by the Maine Warden Service, with help from the Maine Forest Service, Maine State Police, Passamaquoddy Game Wardens, and others, officials said.
A Maine Warden Service aircraft and a Maine Forest Service helicopter also searched the area, the release said.
For seven days, the Maine Warden Service Dive Teams searched the lake with sonar, an underwater ROV, and divers, according to the release.
"Pocumcus Lake is approximately five miles long, and one mile wide, with a maximum depth of 44 feet, encompassing over 2,200 acres," the release said. "Pocumcus Lake is part of the West Grand Lakes area, as Sysladobsis Lake flows into Pocumcus Lake, and Pocumcus Lake flows into West Grand Lake."
No additional information has been released.
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