In 1990, a boater found a man’s body floating eight miles off the Maine coast. Nearly three decades later, Maine State Police are hoping someone can help investigators figure out who the man was and what happened to him.
A recreational boater discovered the body about eight miles south of Schoodic Point and eight miles east of Baker Island (part of the Cranberry Isles), on Aug. 9, 1990.
“Previous efforts over the past 27 years to identify him have not been successful,” Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland said Monday.
Investigators felt that by using social media, the chances of identifying the man would increase, McCausland said.
“We didn’t have Facebook in 1990,” he said. “We’re hoping the clothing and the surgeries he’s had will click with someone out there.”
All police know about the man, is that he stood about 5’3” or 5’4”, had a “stocky” build and short, dark hair, and was between 40 and 50 years old when he died. The medical examiner’s office also determined the man had at one point had surgeries to repair a hernia and to have his spleen removed. The examiner estimated that the man died a month or two before his body was discovered.
On Monday, police asked anyone who might have information about the man to call police headquarters in Augusta at 207-624-7076. They also released photographs of the clothing he was wearing when his body was discovered.
The clothing, including a blue winter coat with red lining and a blue corduroy shirt, came from Canada, but the man was wearing high rubber boots made in Czechoslovakia.
There are no missing persons cases in Maine that match the man’s description. State police also have checked with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which also doesn’t have any missing persons reports that fit the description.
“Investigators have also looked into whether the man may have fallen off a ship or fishing boat in the Gulf of Maine or in Canadian waters,” McCausland said.
BDN writer Judy Harrison contributed to this report.