Body of Chance Lauer found in pond near Maine apartment complex, police say

A 19-year-old former college student from Maine who disappeared two months ago was found dead in a pond near her apartment complex on Tuesday, according to authorities.

Chance Lauer was last seen Jan. 19 at the Orchard Trail Apartments in Orono, where he lived, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said in a news release during the search.

The Orono Police Department previously stated that Lauer did not have a vehicle, and that Lauer’s wallet was found in his room and his phone was turned off at the time of his disappearance.

Police said officers found a body in the pond Tuesday after a citizen called the department. The body was located with the help of the Maine Warden Service and positively identified as Lauer.

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Police said “there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death at this time” but did not specify how Lauer died. An autopsy was awaited.

Accordingly FOX22 Bangor“He was rescued from a pond near his apartment in Orono yesterday afternoon. He went for a walk 8 weeks ago and fell through the ice,” a person identifying himself as Lauer’s family member wrote on social media Wednesday.

Authorities had previously said Lauer went missing near the Orchard Trail Apartments in Orono, Maine, where he lived. (Google Maps)

The pond was reportedly the focus of the search for Lauer.

Robert Bowie, director of the Downeast Emergency Medicine Institute (DEEMI), said in a statement on Wednesday that “conversations with apartment staff showed that the pond was an area of ​​interest from the beginning, and that this was an area he would visit frequently.”

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“DEEMI has launched multiple drone imaging missions for both infrared and high-resolution digital imaging over the search area, including the pond,” said Bowie. he said. “At least 3 imaging missions have been conducted to this area of ​​interest and more are planned.”

Police thanked the University of Maine Maine Warden Service and search volunteers for their assistance in trying to find Lauer.

A sign at the entrance to the University of Maine campus in Orono, Maine, on July 22, 2016. (iStock)

“The Orono Police Department and the Town of Orono wish to extend our deepest condolences to Mr. Lauer’s family and friends,” police said.

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Lauer is enrolled at the University of Maine from September 2024 to December 2025, the school confirmed. PEOPLE.

school told WMTW-TV Lauer was not registered at the time of his disappearance.