A body believed to be that of the Rev. Clement Thibodeau, 85, of Caribou, who has been missing since July 15, was found just before noon Saturday near Upper Pistol Lake, south of Springfield, the Maine Warden Service announced.

A man clearing trails near the lake found Thibodeau’s gray 2013 Chevrolet Equinox stuck near a remote, unimproved road, according to warden service. The man then called Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, which dispatched game wardens to the area.

Game wardens located the remains of a human body near the vehicle. The body will be examined by the state medical examiner’s office for positive identification, possibly as soon as Monday.

Search efforts earlier this summer included tracking pings produced by Thibodeau’s cellphone. That information brought searchers near the Penobscot County town of Lee, which is about 12 miles northwest of where Thibodeau’s vehicle was found.

Thibodeau was a pastor at Notre Dame Church in Waterville from 1980 to 1987, according to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. At this time, game wardens do not suspect foul play.


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