Body found in Thames River Tuesday is missing Montville man
State police confirmed Wednesday afternoon that the body found in the Thames River Tuesday belonged to Lyle Dagenais, a Montville resident who went missing during a fishing trip last month.
The Coast Guard suspended its search Feb. 20 for Dagenais, 31, a day after he left to go flounder fishing on the Thames River in a gray "I love NY" hooded sweatshirt and didn’t return.
Crews found his kayak near the Yale boathouse in Gales Ferry last month.
U.S. Navy Police found Dagenais’ body Tuesday in the Thames River near the Naval Submarine Base. The body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner Tuesday afternoon and identified by state police Wednesday.
The Coast Guard-led search in February lasted 15 hours and covered roughly 80 square nautical miles, including the length of the Thames River from Norwich to Fishers Island, N.Y.
Local fire and police personnel and Coast Guard crews searched coves along the river, but officials said the water temperature was 39 degrees at the time Dagenais went missing posed concerns about whether he could have survived time in the water.
According to police, family members of Dagenais called from their Montville residence about 11:30 p.m. on Feb. 19 to report him missing. They told police Dagenais took three fishing poles, a tackle box and a gray and orange 11-foot kayak with him when he left that morning.
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