A 61-year-old Lincoln County man missing since Monday was found dead Wednesday morning next to his fire-damaged vehicle in a gravel pit near the intersection of Routes 220 and 126, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department.

Thomas Raye, a cousin of state Sen. Kevin Raye of Perry, was reported missing at about 10 a.m. Monday, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department said.

Raye’s death did not appear to be suspicious or intentional, sheriff’s Maj. Ken Mason said.

It was unclear why Raye had gone into the George C. Hall & Sons gravel pit in the Knox County town of Washington. The evidence led investigators to suspect that Raye had been in the pit since before 4 p.m. Monday.

Work at the pit had made the area Raye was found in inaccessible on Tuesday. Mason indicated that Raye’s medical condition may have made him confused of his whereabouts.

Raye suffered from Huntington’s disease, Kevin Raye said Wednesday. It is a rare, incurable and fatal neurological disease that affects the brain and nervous system.

“It just robs you of everything,” Raye said. His cousin was diagnosed about 10 years ago and was losing his motor skills, such as the ability to communicate and to exhibit expression. The condition also affects speech and balance.

On Wednesday, Raye’s vehicle, which was significantly damaged by fire, was spotted by a Maine Warden Service airplane involved in the search by Lincoln County and Knox County sheriff’s departments and Maine State Police. An air search on Tuesday was delayed due to weather.

Raye was found next to his vehicle, according to the sheriff’s report, but evidence gathered by investigators at the scene leads investigators to believe Raye had been inside his vehicle when the fire started. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is probing the cause of the fire.

Investigators have determined Raye’s vehicle was stuck in the moist soil of the gravel pit prior to the fire.

Thomas Raye had not driven a motor vehicle for the past two years, Kevin Raye said.

“We admire so much the courageous battle he waged,” Raye said.

The senator’s cousin was a Navy lieutenant during Vietnam and had worked in the cable and video industry in Connecticut. He moved to Maine in 1988 and worked at Bath Iron Works until his medical problems forced him to retire. He leaves his wife, Helen, and grown son, Alec.

Kevin Raye expressed the family’s gratitude for “the many kindnesses” extended by friends and neighbors over the past two days and their appreciation for the efforts of law enforcement officials.

An autopsy will be conducted by the state medical examiner’s office to determine the cause of death.