Missing Vermont Man Recovered from Connecticut River in Westmoreland

CONTACT:
Conservation Officer Lt. William Boudreau
603-271-3361
October 20, 2025

Westmoreland, NH – On October 19 at approximately 11:28 a.m., Conservation Officers were notified of a missing person from Vermont who was last seen in a canoe on the Connecticut River. The individual was reportedly last seen around 10:00 p.m. on October 18 leaving the Putney, VT side of the river. The calling party said that there had been no contact with the individual since that time and they had located his overturned canoe near Ferry Road in Westmoreland.

Conservation Officers along with Westmoreland Fire and Rescue, Walpole Fire and Rescue, Spofford Fire and Rescue, Chesterfield, Fire and Rescue, Water Rescue Task Force, Walpole Police Department, and Vermont State Police all responded to begin conducting a search for the missing man.

At approximately 2:52 p.m., divers with the Water Rescue Task Force located and recovered the man in close proximity to his overturned canoe.

The events leading up to the incident remain under investigation by NH State Police Marine Patrol.

As we come into the fall/winter season, and as water temperatures drop, this incident is a reminder for all boaters to utilize a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) while on the waterbodies of New Hampshire or anywhere that you may be visiting. For safe boating tips please visit https://www.wildlife.nh.gov and https://www.nhsp.dos.nh.gov/our-services/field-operations-bureau/marine-patrol.