On 9/3/2023 at approximately 2323 hours, the Vermont State Police received a report of a possible missing person in the town of Groton. The complainant called to advise three individuals were on a boat in Levi Pond and it overturned and only two made it back to shore. 

Search attempts were conducted through the night by uniform members of the state police and the decedent was not located. the Vermont State Police Underwater Recovery Team was notified and responded to the scene in the early morning hours of 09/04/2023. 

I was notified about this incident on 9/4/2023 at approximately 0800 hours and responded to the scene. Upon my arrival I was made aware members of URT were scanning the pond in attempts to locate the decedent. at approximately 1100 hours i was notified they believed they located the decedent's body and divers were sent in to retrieve him. I was advised the decedent was located at the bottom of the pond in approximately 6 feet deep water approximately 50 feet from shore. 

The decedent's body was brought to shore and I conducted an examination of the body. The decedent was dressed in pants and work boots. One of the work boots was fully untied and it appeared the decedent was attempting to remove it when he went under. There were no injuries found on the decedent which would lead me to believe he was assaulted prior to coming off the boat. 

The decedent's body was brought to a near by intersection and MDI arrived on scene to conduct a more thorough body exam. There was nothing remarkable found on the second body exam. 

After the body was removed I drove to speak with the witnesses involved. Subject1 advised the decedent and everyone else came up to visit and they had been cutting wood throughout the day. he advised that evening they drove down to the Pond and observed a boat down there that was unlocked. Subject1 and Subject2 both advised the three decided to take the row boat out and try to catch some fish. I was advised it was dusk at this time and when they made it out to the middle of the lake it became very dark. Subject2 advised the remaining individuals were sitting by shore having a small fire when they heard a loud commotion on the water and tried to find flashlights to see what was going on. 

Both Subject1 and Subject2 advised two people returned to shore and no one could find the decedent. Subject2 stated they tried walking the banks and when they still couldn't find him Subject1 called 911. After the call was made they all attempted to located the decedent, but were unsuccessful. 

Subject3 advised when they were out on the water, the decedent and him decided it was time to go back and the decedent began rowing back to shore. Subject3 approximated they were in the middle of the lake but was unsure due to how dark it was. Subject3 advised the decedent was "rowing backwards" and the two decided to switch sides to make it easier to row. Subject3 advised as they both stood up, the weight distribution in the boat was off and it immediately overturned. Subject3 advised he began swimming and saw Juvenile struggling so he grabbed Juvenile and swam towards where they thought the shore was. Subject3 advised he did not look to see if the decedent was behind him as he was focused on making sure Juvenile made it to shore. Subject3 advised when he got to shore he could not locate the decedent. 

Preliminary autopsy results I received on 9/13/2023 list the immediate cause of death as drowning and list the manner as accidental.

Levi Pond
Groton                        