Missing 87-year-old man discovered dead near vehicle

SANGERVILLE – The body of an elderly Dexter man who was reported missing on Monday was found beyond the traveled way of the Townhouse Road.

People who were four-wheeling along the path at about 7:40 p.m. Thursday discovered the body of George Fitzgerald, 87, lying on the ground face up in a mud puddle, according to Sgt. Jimmy Emerson of the Dexter Police Department. Fitzgerald, who had mired his van in mud on a path used by all-terrain vehicles, was found about 100 yards from his vehicle, he said.

Emerson said Fitzgerald, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, had made several attempts to turn his vehicle around and had “spun the rubber” of his tires and had damaged his van.

Investigator Guy Dow of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department, who was called to the scene, said Fitzgerald’s vehicle was about a half mile beyond the traveled way. He said the elderly man had groceries in the vehicle, including Monday’s Bangor Daily News.

According to family members, Fitzgerald had left to visit a friend in Bangor on Monday and had returned to his house before he left again, Emerson said.

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