POLAND — A man and a teenager found dead inside a home on Tripp Lake Road earlier in the week were the victims of homicide, state police said Friday.
When police went to 205 Tripp Lake Road on Tuesday morning on a welfare check, they found the bodies of 21-year-old Shoeb Mohamed Adan of Springfield, Massachusetts, and 16-year-old Mohamed Aden of Lewiston, according to a statement Friday.
The bodies were taken to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner where the deaths were declared homicides.
Police have not disclosed how the two males were killed. No arrests have been made, although state police have said there is no known threat to the public.
State police Friday said a man from Massachusetts and a teen from Lewiston were found dead Tuesday in this home at 205 Tripp Lake Road in Poland. The deaths are classified as homicides. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
Police also did not suggest any motivation for the killings.
Aden attended Lewiston schools. Last summer, he was part of a team of students who helped clean the Longley School after it was vandalized.
Lewiston School Superintendent Jake Langlais sent a note to the school community Friday night.
“Mohamed Aden, a young man, only 16 years old, pursuing his credits for graduation, who attended Lewiston High School, and currently the Next STEP program, has been taken from us,” Langlais wrote. “He is a beloved member of our community, striving for so many positive things, and he will be missed. Investigations are ongoing and we are planning for how we will approach the week starting Monday. So many students, family, friends, and staff are shocked and hurting. Our hearts and prayers are with his family, fellow students, teachers, trusted adults and friends. So unimaginable.”
Langlais said that the school department will consider how to address the tragedy within the school community. In the meantime, he said, students and parents should lean on one another as they cope with the loss of Aden.
“Honor him,” Langlais wrote. “Honor his family. Mourn the loss of Mohamed. Know that he is in a better place. Pray for him and his family that have been shocked by this series of events.”
Police declined to say whether either of the victims lived at the trailer where their bodies were found.
Those familiar with the area said the trailer was a rental that had been vacant for some time. The owners are listed as Linda and John T. Plapis of New Gloucester.
One Poland resident reported seeing vehicles with out-of-state plates at the home from time to time.
The investigation was ongoing Friday.
“The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit and Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department have been conducting interviews and following up on leads in Maine and Massachusetts,” according to the news release. “There is no known threat to the public at this time. Anyone with information on this investigation is encouraged to contact the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Department at (207) 753-2599.”
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