CANAAN — A man was found dead late Sunday on Sibley Pond with his all-terrain vehicle on top of him after an apparent alcohol-related crash, according to authorities.
Thomas Souza, 50, of Canaan, lived on property abutting the pond and a tenant who lives in another building on the property discovered his body at about 11 p.m. Sunday, said Mark Latti, spokesman for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.
Latti said Monday the tenant arrived home late Sunday and didn’t see Souza in his house or garage, and his ATV was not there.
“She looked down at the lake and could see lights,” Latti said. “She walked down a trail to the lake and found Thomas in the ATV, flipped over on him. … She tried to shake him, and she knew that he was deceased so she called 911.”
Game wardens arrived to investigate, according to Latti.
“They found evidence that he had been drinking and believe that alcohol was one of the factors in the crash,” he said.
The ATV did not go through the ice, according to Latti.
He said the crash was the second fatal ATV wreck this year in Maine. The first occurred New Year’s Day when a 42-year-old Smithfield man died after his ATV broke through the ice on North Pond.
Sunday’s incident occurred about 15 yards from shore, at the southern end of Sibley Pond, Latti said.
Sibley is located in the towns of Canaan and Pittsfield in Somerset County, and is visible from U.S. Route 2.
The perimeter of the 396-acre pond is 4.8 miles.
Editor’s note: This story was updated Tuesday, Feb. 14, to correct the spelling of Thomas Souza’s last name.
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