Body Of Missing Boater Pulled From Auburn Reservoir
AUBURN (CBS) -- The search for a missing boater in an Auburn reservoir came to a sad end Friday morning. Divers found the body of 56-year-old Douglas Flink in Dark Brook Reservoir a day after the search began.
Multiple 911 calls came in around 6 p.m. Thursday reporting a boating accident. A neighbor heard a loud sound coming from the water that turned out to be the engine and someone saw the boat spinning around with no one in it.
The empty boat was later found next to a small island in the reservoir, which is also known as Electric Pond.
Crews searched for about an hour but it was called off due to dangerous conditions in the dark, murky water. They returned early Friday around 7:30 a.m. with an Urban Search and Rescue Recovery K-9.
"The K-9 was placed on a boat, moved out to the area where the victim was last seen, and the K-9 had two different hits on a specific area where divers began to focus. A short time later, the victim was recovered by divers from the Worcester Fire Department," said Fire Chief Stephen Coleman.
Neighbors told WBZ Flink went out on his boat just about every night after work.
They say the pond can be tricky to navigate. "It's got a lot of weeds, it's not very deep, but that current in the center is quite strong," said Jean Keller. "They're a very nice family. He just really likes the water."
Neighbor Rosa Hultberg said her son heard the roar of the engine. "He didn't know it was a boat or anything you know, just heard a noise," she said. "I think it's a tragedy and it's awful, awful, awful."
It is still unclear what caused the accident.