The body of a 66-year-old Clinton man was found Tuesday in a vehicle discovered upside down in water off Hill Road in Clinton. Photo courtesy of Clinton police
CLINTON — A 66-year-old Clinton man was found dead Tuesday in a vehicle which was discovered upside down in about 4 feet of water off Hill Road, according to police.
Gene Rose, 66, of Gustafson Road, was found after Clinton fire and police departments received a call at 12:15 p.m. from a passer-by who saw the vehicle, according to Clinton police Chief Rusty Bell.
Bell said Wednesday that the 1995 GMC Jimmy that Rose was driving was in water that is runoff from a bog on the other side of the road. The water is about 4 feet deep in some places and 3 feet in others, he said.
The Police Department posted information on its Facebook page Wednesday that says when crews arrived, they determined the SUV had been in the water for an extended time, as ice had formed around it. Fairfield Fire and Rescue’s cold water rescue team responded to determine if anyone was in the SUV.
“The ice was partially cleared away but it wasn’t possible to see if anybody was in the vehicle,” the post said.
Dostie’s Towing of Benton used a heavy wrecker to lift it from the water, the post said.
“After the vehicle was out of the water by the edge of the road we were able to see that there was a person in the vehicle, unfortunately deceased,” according to the statement.
Police are continuing to investigate and seeking information about Rose’s activities beginning Sunday afternoon. Anyone with information is asked to call the Waterville Regional Communications Center and ask for Clinton Officer Joshua Chouinard.
A vehicle is lifted Tuesday from a body of water along Hill Road in Clinton. The body of a 66-year-old Clinton man was discovered inside. Photo courtesy of Clinton police
Bell said investigators will try to determine why the SUV went into the water.
“All signs point to it’s accidental,” Bell said. “The body was taken directly to the (state) medical examiner’s office for further investigation.”
He said police hope to develop a timeline of when the crash occurred and to obtain Rose’s cellphone, which may help provide answers.
“His seat belt was still on so that gives me a little hope that he wasn’t struggling,” Bell said.
Asked if there were skid marks in the road near the crash, he said there were not.
“There’s nothing,” he said. “All I got is that on the edge of the snow that was there, there were tracks of where the vehicle came from the Clinton-bound lane into the Canaan-bound lane and across the road.”
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