Maine Wardens Recover the Body of a 55-Year-Old Fisherman

The Maine Warden Service has recovered the body of a Roxbury man who fell from his boat while fishing.

Who Was the Fisherman?

55-year-old Thomas Averill of Roxbury went fishing Tuesday night on Ellis Pond in a 14-foot aluminum boat. Just before 8:00, people on shore noticed the boat moving across the pond with no one on board, and then saw movement in the water and heard cries for help. As some of the witnesses called 911, several others boated out to the location where they heard the distress calls, but they were unable to locate anything except a hat floating on the water.

Several agencies responded including Maine Game Wardens, who found the boat wedged against the shore of an island. The craft was in gear and had a fishing rod with line out, but there was no one on-board. Crews searched the shoreline and the island until around 12:30.

Where Was He Found?

Early Wednesday morning, a Maine Game Warden plane and divers began searching the pond and, at approximately 8:10, Game Warden Pilot Chris Hilton spotted an object on the bottom of the lake and sent divers down. By 8:30, they had recovered the body of Averill in approximately 10 feet of water, 200 feet from shore.

Was He Wearing a Life Jacket?

Game Warden Sergeant Kyle Hladik detailed how the incident happened.

It appears that Averill was out fishing, and fell out of his boat while not wearing a life jacket when the boat was still in gear and moving forward.

Hladik says if Averill had worn his life jacket, rescuers may have been able to reach him in time.