Though the investigation continues, authorities said the drowning of a 5-year-old boy in Sebago July 25 was likely an accident.

According to Cumberland County Sheriff’s Capt. Don Goulet, Matthew Baker was swimming with his foster father, Sebago resident Paul Charette, near South Beach Street.

Charette apparently lost sight of Baker when he went under the water. Charette then returned to his house to call the police.

The Charette family declined to comment on the drowning.

Charette and his family live around a mile away from the beach via a camp road and a couple hundred yards as the crow flies, Goulet said.

Goulet said at least 45 minutes passed between when Charette left the beach and when he made the call. Charette is disabled and walks with a cane.

Emergency personnel responded at around 4:30 p.m. to the call of the missing child. The boy was found floating in the water, and rescuers were unable to revive him.

Baker, who was not wearing a flotation device, did not know how to swim, Goulet said.

Though deputies from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office are the primary investigators, they asked for assistance from the state police.

Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said evidence indicated the drowning was accidental.

Goulet said they hope to finish the investigation by the end of this week by taking a close look at lab results and conducting interviews. He added that no one witnessed the child drowning.

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