No further updates in search for missing man on the Winooski River
December 19, 2024 | By Waterbury RoundaboutUpdate Friday 4 p.m.
The Vermont State Police Underwater Recovery Team was not seen along U.S. Route 2 in Waterbury on Friday anywhere in the vicinity of where it had worked the day before in search of 45-year-old John Gaye of Essex Junction.
The Vermont State Police Underwater Recovery Team searches on the Winooski River on Thursday. Photo by Gordon Miller
Late Friday afternoon, state police spokesman Adam Silverman confirmed that there was no additional activity on search in Waterbury on Friday. He said there were no further details to share in the case or information regarding if and whether the river search would resume.
Anyone with information that could assist investigators in this case is asked to call the Vermont State Police barracks in Berlin at 802-229-9191. Anonymous tips may also be submitted online using the website: vsp.vermont.gov/prevention/tipsubmit.
Near the railroad bridge along U.S. Route 2 near Parro’s. Photo by Gordon Miller
Update Thursday 8:30 p.m.
John Gaye, 45. Photo courtesy of Vermont State Police
Just before dusk on Thursday, Vermont State Police ended their search efforts for a missing man believed to have entered the Winooski River in Waterbury.
Additional targeted searching is expected to resume on Friday, police said.
Police released a photo and identified the man they are searching for as John Gaye, 45, of Essex Junction, and Graham, Kentucky. There is “no evidence to indicate his disappearance is suspicious, but there are concerns for his welfare,” police said.
Search operations were based near the Waterbury wastewater treatment plant on Thursday — a spot upstream from where Gaye’s vehicle was located but the most accessible for the search team to enter the water with an airboat and their equipment.
Capt. Matthew Daley who heads up the state Underwater Recovery Team explained that the first steps involved scanning the river by boat using equipment to identify locations for divers to examine. That work will continue on Friday.
The original post is below. This story will be updated as new information becomes available.
State police conduct river search for missing man in Waterbury
Just before 11 a.m. today, Vermont State Police issued a bulletin that there is a search in progress at the Winooski River in Waterbury for a missing person.
A Vermont State Police team scans the Winooski River west of the railroad bridge along U.S. Route 2 late Friday morning. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
In a press release, the state police said they were contacted by Essex Police on Wednesday around 2:45 p.m. for assistance with a missing persons investigation. Troopers located the missing man’s vehicle “behind a local establishment at 601 U.S. Route 2 in Waterbury,” police said. The location is near Parro’s Gun Shop and Indoor Range.
“Evidence discovered in the area of the vehicle indicated the male party may have entered the Winooski River. He is still missing,” the news release states.
The public will see an increased police presence in the Waterbury area due to the search. The Vermont State Police Underwater Recovery Team is working at the Winooski River on this case.
