WEST FORKS PLANTATION — Martin Poulin and Francine Dumas left Saint-Georges, Quebec, a week ago bound for a wedding in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire.

They crossed the border into Maine through Jackman Station at 10:38 a.m. July 28, according to the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office. But they never made it to New Hampshire, and family members began a search.

They filed a missing persons report, and the Quebec provincial police notified authorities in Maine. Then, Tuesday afternoon, days after the two disappeared, relatives found the wreckage of the couple’s car with their bodies inside off the road and hidden from view in West Forks Plantation.

The accident site is about 35 miles south of the border crossing on Route 201, the main route from Quebec into Maine and points south, about 4 miles north of West Forks village.

Police said the 2005 Nissan Altima apparently went off the road and struck a tree. The tree then fell onto the car, hiding the wreck from view.

After finding the car, family members flagged down Somerset County Sheriff Lt. Carl Gottardi on Route 201.

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Relatives were at the scene Tuesday afternoon, but didn’t want to speak to the media.

Police believe the accident occurred the same day the couple, both 58, crossed the border. Their cellphones and credit cards had not been used after they entered the U.S.

Police said they don’t know why the car went off the road. The two-lane road rises slightly near the scene but is mostly straight. The speed limit is 55 mph. The road from the border to The Forks, about 40 miles to the south, is the Old Canada Road Scenic Byway. Only one house is visible from the crash location, and it is not close to the site.

Police said the investigation is continuing.

 

 


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