The Maine Warden Service and other rescue groups continued to search during the weekend for an East Millinocket fisherman who has been missing since Wednesday and is presumed to have drowned.

Divers went into the waters downstream of the Mattawamkeag dam Saturday morning after another search team, using high-tech aerial photographs, spotted something in the Penobscot River on Friday that had anatomical features.

But 42-year-old Wayne Crosby was not found at the location on Saturday and the dive team was put on standby, according to Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife spokeswoman Deborah Turcotte.

“We will still have a boat or two on the water continuing the river search,” Turcotte said. A warden service plane is also conducting periodic searches of the area, she said.

Search teams have been on the Penobscot near Mattawamkeag since Thursday morning looking for Crosby, who is feared to have drowned after the canoe in which he was fishing was swamped in turbulent waters.

Two other men in the canoe managed to escape the cold, fast and dangerous waters before being rescued. Teams found the badly damaged canoe Friday but have been unable to locate the body of Crosby.

DIF&W has received assistance from the nonprofit search and rescue organization Down East Emergency Medicine Institute, which uses a special high-resolution aerial camera to spot objects in the water. DEEMI is not affiliated with the Maine Warden Service.

Richard Bowie, DEEMI’s director, said Saturday evening that imagery taken Friday showed a tan-colored object with anatomical features in the water. Based on water patterns around the object, it appeared to be flowing with the current downriver, Bowie said.

After the pictures were analyzed, a scent-detection dog named Quincy with the Volunteer K9 Scent Specific Search and Recovery team also “hit” on the area late Friday, according to the dog’s handler, Julie Jones of Brewer. However, it became too dark to work safely in the area and on the water, Jones said.

Crews from DEEMI and Dirigo Search and Rescue as well as members of Crosby’s family searched about 10 miles of the river on Sunday, Bowie said. The Maine Warden Service also patrolled the river, Turcotte said.

The DEEMI team and Quincy also have assisted on numerous other searches in Maine and, most recently, helped Vermont authorities locate the body of a college student missing for months.

“We appreciate all of the help they are giving us,” Turcotte said.

Crosby and the two other men – his brother Mark Crosby and Gilbert “Gibby” Chaloux Jr.- all of East Millinocket, were attempting to evade worsening weather Wednesday night when the engine on their canoe died just below the Mattawamkeag dam.

The swift-moving water coming off the dam swamped the canoe, sending the men into the roiling waters.

kmiller@bangordailynews.net

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