BETHEL — A spokesman for the Maine State Police confirmed Sunday that the death of a Bethel woman found Friday following a three-day search was a suicide.
Steve McCausland, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said an autopsy performed this weekend by the state Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that Kim Vanderlaan, 40, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. Vanderlaan's body was found Friday by a search team on Walker Mountain. The mother of two moved to Maine about a year ago from Rhode Island where her children still live with their father.
Vanderlaan was reported missing Tuesday evening to Bethel Police by her boyfriend, John St. Hilaire. Her body was discovered less than a mile behind her residence on Walkers Mills Road, which is also Route 26.
Report a correction
In order to make comments, you must verify your account.
In order to comment on SunJournal.com, you must use your real name and include the town in which you live in your profile. A member of our staff will call you to verify this information. To join in, fill out your user profile completely and check the box "please verify my status." We'll get back to you within one business day to verify your account.
Login or create an account here.
Our policy prohibits comments that are:
- Defamatory, abusive, obscene, racist, or otherwise hateful
- Excessively foul and/or vulgar
- Inappropriately sexual
- Baseless personal attacks or otherwise threatening
- Contain illegal material, or material that infringes on the rights of others
- Commercial postings attempting to sell a product/item
If you violate this policy, your comment will be removed and your account may be banned.