MANCHESTER — A Hallowell man died after falling into Lake Cobbosssee on Thursday morning, but authorities did not immediately know whether the man drowned or died from some other cause, said Kennebec County Sheriff Ryan Reardon.

Richard Barrett, 84, had been doing yard work near the home of his sister at 6 Collins Road, Reardon said.

A Kennebec County sheriff's deputy works on Pond Road in Manchester on Thursday morning after the body of an 84-year-old man was pulled from Lake Cobbossee. Charles Eichacker/Kennebec Journal

His sister found Barrett’s body in the water near the intersection of Pond and Collins roads and called authorities at 10:11 a.m., Reardon said.

Members of the Winthrop Ambulance Service and Manchester Fire Department responded, and 20 minutes later moved Barrett’s body from the lakefront into an ambulance. A deputy from the sheriff’s department was also at the scene.

Some of the rescuers wore dry suits, and at least one rescue boat was parked at the site, but it did not appear they used the boat to recover the body. A red baseball cap was seen floating near shore after Barrett’s body was recovered.

Barrett fell into the lake near its outlet into Cobbosseecontee Stream. The water there is about 5 feet deep and contains a dense array of vegetation.

Investigators don’t know how Barrett ended up in the water, Reardon said, but there is no evidence of suspicious circumstances or that a car struck Barrett. His body will be taken to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy, Reardon said.

The lake is in Litchfield, Manchester, Monmouth, West Gardiner and Winthrop.

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