Missing Parkman Man Located By Game Wardens

A Parkman man who went missing yesterday while on an ATV trip has been found alive by Maine Game Wardens.

Gene Wilbur, age 78, had gone for an ATV ride near his home on Route 150 in Parkman early Thursday afternoon. He'd traveled about a mile when he started walking, checking out some of his property located near Packard Brook, which is a densely wooded area containing bogs and beaver flowages.

Warden Corporal John MacDonald said when Gene didn't return home later that afternoon, his wife, family, and friends set out to find him, eventually calling in the Warden Service at around 7:45 when they were unable to locate him. Several wardens, a canine team from Dover Police, and an Air National Guard helicopter with forward-looking infrared assisted in the search. MacDonald says Gene has health issues and was not prepared to spend a night in the woods.

Rescuers found his abandoned ATV on a logging road on his property. Then at 10:30, wardens and the canine team made voice contact with Gene in a very densely wooded portion of the bog. They made their way to him and found him to be responsive and in fair condition. However, due to the difficult terrain, it took wardens nearly two hours to walk Gene just a quarter of a mile back out to Route 150. Wardens Josh Pollard and Paul Mason are pictured here, helping Gene out of the woods. He was taken to Dover Hospital for evaluation.