Overview
- A resident reported hearing someone call for help and then saw a small Zodiac-style boat circling with a dog aboard and no person visible.
- Firefighters from Rockland and Rockport boarded the unmanned boat and shut off its engine but did not find the operator.
- Maine Warden Service divers later recovered the body of 59-year-old Timothy Payson of Rockland from about 15 feet of water.
- The dog was found alive on the unsecured vessel and was taken from the scene by responders.
- Authorities have closed the Johnson Memorial Park boat launch, asked the public to avoid the area, and said the search-and-investigation remains active as officials gather facts.