Body of Central Maine Man Found Inside His Submerged SUV on Tuesday

According to The Kennebec Journal, a Central Maine man was found deceased inside his submerged SUV in about 4 feet of water on Tuesday afternoon.

The KJ reports that the Clinton Fire/Rescue and the Police got a call just after noontime on Tuesday from someone passing by the Hill Road that noticed a vehicle upside down in the water.

Clinton Police Chief, Rusty Bell, told the Kennebec Journal that the vehicle in the water was a 1995 GMC Jimmy and had ended up in a runoff stream from a nearby bog. Bell identified the driver as Gene Rose, 66 of Clinton.

Sadly, officials were able to deduce that the vehicle had been in the water for 'an extended time' because ice had reformed around the vehicle. This prompted a response from the Fairfield Fire/Rescue Cold Water Team. They came out to assess if anyone was in the SUV under the water. Unfortunately, there was.

Chief Bell says that they're going to use the victim's cell phone to try and figure out a timeline of when the crash may have happened. Additionally, Bell told the Kennebec Journal that Rose's seatbelt was still on so he believes that may indicate that that man didn't struggle under the water.

As the vehicle appears to have been in the water for an 'extended amount of time', police are continuing their investigation to see what may have led to the crash. Officials are asking anyone who may have seen anything, or have additional information, to contact the Waterville Regional Communications Center and speak with Officer Joshua Chouinard.