RANGELEY — Officials have identified a body recovered Friday afternoon in Rangeley Lake as that of a missing snowmobiler, Glenn Henderson, 43, of Sabattus.

Henderson was one of three men reported missing Dec. 31 when they failed to return from a snowmobile trip on the lake. The other two are Henderson’s cousin Ken Henderson, 40, of China, and friend John Spencer, 41, of Litchfield.

The search for the other men’s remains has been suspended until Monday because of the weather, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said in a news release.

Lt. Kevin Adam, of the Maine Warden Service, said Glenn Henderson’s body still had a helmet on.

The wardens’ remotely operated underwater vehicle pulled the body from the water, and it was taken to a private lakeshore area south of the Rangeley Lake boat landing, Adam said.

Adam said the body was found shortly after noon less than a quarter-mile from shore in an area that had been identified by sonar. The Warden Service’s remotely operated vehicle was used to retrieve the body from about 135 feet of water and bring it to the surface, Adam said.

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The Warden Service search began Tuesday with the use of sonar in the area where the snowmobilers are thought to have fallen into open water on the then-partially frozen lake in late December.

On Friday, bystanders huddled in small groups by the lakeshore as the sun peeked in and out of the gray sky.

“I think they found Glenn,” said Buddy Cooper, 32, of Leeds, Henderson’s brother-in-law, as he headed to an area where family members were waiting at the Rangeley boat landing for information.

“Glenn’s married to my sister Jackie. It’s better now after everything. I feel bad for Jackie, but we’re holding up.”

The search conditions were far different from those last winter.

The search initially was postponed in early January because of cold and high wind on an open section of the lake. The search plans changed when the lake froze, but the search was delayed again because the ice was too thin to hold the people and equipment needed to use the underwater vehicle.

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Searchers initially found helmets and gloves while searching for Dawn Newell, 45, of Yarmouth, who went into the lake the night of Dec. 30 while snowmobiling with her son.

She rode her snowmobile into open water hours before the others were reported missing. Her body was recovered Dec. 31.

Wardens said Newell and her son, 16, drove into open water. The boy managed to jump from his snowmobile onto solid ice before his machine sank.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367
dharlow@centralmaine.com

 


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