Body found in river identified as missing Buxton teenager

BUXTON – A body found last week in the Saco River was identified Tuesday as that of a 15-year-old girl who vanished six months ago.

The Maine medical examiner’s office confirmed that the victim was Coreen Wiese of Buxton, a student at Bonny Eagle High School.

Preliminary identification was made by comparing orthodontic work, while confirmation came through DNA tests at the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory.

The autopsy Sunday revealed no significant injuries before death and the medical examiner concluded that the findings were all consistent with drowning. A ruling on the manner of death was deferred pending results of toxicology tests and further investigation.

Wiese was last seen Nov. 8 near the Route 25 bridge that crosses the Saco River between Standish and Limington, about six miles upriver from the spot where teenagers found her body around midnight Friday.

The girl’s cell phone and an apparent suicide note scratched into a steel beam, with the letters “RIP” and “CW,” had been found at the bridge.

The disappearance baffled more than a dozen FBI agents, Buxton police and psychics working the case. Wesley Wiese, the victim’s father, posted a reward of up to $20,000 for information about his daughter but the offer produced no leads.

The discovery of the body came just days after he organized a candlelight vigil that marked the six-month anniversary of the disappearance.