Missing Canoer, 20, Found Dead In Western Mass Pond After Days Of Searching

After a nearly five-day search, the body of a 20-year-old canoer who went overboard in Westfield's Pequot Pond was found on Sunday, June 25.

Police found the body of a 20-year-old East Longmeadow man on Sunday, May 25, after his canoe capsized on Wednesday.
Photo Credit: *Massachusetts State Police*

Josh Lanier

06/25/2023 1:27 p.m.

The East Longmeadow man was on the pond with two friends on Wednesday night, June 22, when it capsized, tossing them all into the water. Two men swam to shore, but the third man never resurfaced.

Police have not released his name.

One of the other canoers was hospitalized for injuries.

Multiple police agencies utilizing dive teams, helicopters, sonar, and other instruments scoured Pequot Pond for hours each day but found nothing until Sunday. His body was found some 50 yards from where the canoe capsized, Massachusetts state police said.

Police said low visibility, heavy underwater vegetation, and logs on the pond bottom complicated and prolonged the search, authorities said.

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