AUBURN — A vehicle found Monday afternoon in the Little Androscoggin River off Broad Street in Auburn was confirmed to be that of missing Naples resident Mark Conley, according to police.
Conley, 67, was not found inside the vehicle, and the driver’s side window was smashed when the automobile was pulled from the water, said Shannon Moss, public information officer for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
When last seen, Conley was driving a silver 2016 Jeep Patriot SUV.
Detectives with the Maine State Police were on their way Monday to interview those close to Conley in Lewiston when they noticed a dented guard rail on Broad Street and turned around to investigate, according to Moss. They found debris from the vehicle and, after launching a surveillance drone, discovered the wreckage in the water.
The Maine State Police are assisting Auburn police in investigating the discovery, which is being treated as a traffic incident. The Maine State Police dive team is expected to search the water in the coming days, Moss said.
Broad Street was blocked off from Witham Road to Mill Street as police and other rescue workers investigated the scene and removed the vehicle from the river.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and state police have been looking for Conley since he was reported missing Dec. 25, after he failed to show up for a family gathering. Conley was last seen the night before at a family member’s house in Lewiston.
Conley, who lived with his brother, owned Conley Enterprises, a heating and air conditioning company that reportedly had been suffering financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This possibly caused the mild depression Conley was reportedly experiencing prior to his disappearance, according to Sgt. Scott Gosselin of the state police.
The Auburn Police Department, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and state police were at the scene Monday, including reconstructionists and evidence response technicians.
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