SANFORD, Maine — Two teenage stepbrothers are believed to have drowned Sunday at a public recreation area in Sanford.
The bodies of both boys, ages 16 and 17, were found overnight during a search of a local recreation area along the Mousam River after they did not return home for curfew, Sanford police said Monday morning in a news release.
Police said they were notified around 11 p.m. Sunday that the boys did not return home by curfew after they went to the Springvale Recreation/Holdsworth Park to swim, the release stated.
Sanford police Maj. Matthew Gagne said Monday that the boys told their parents they were going to the park around 4 p.m., but it was unclear whether they went directly to the recreation area or how long they were there.
Local police and fire officials responded to the park and found the vehicle the teens were believed to have traveled in, officials said. Crews began searching the park's trail system and waterways.
Search crews located the boys' bodies around 12:30 a.m. Monday in the Mousam River after a search that lasted about an hour and a half, Gagne said. Both teens died from suspected drowning, according to officials.
"Where they went in and what time they went in is an unknown at this point," Gagne said.
Police assume the two boys were alone at the time of the apparent drownings. Gagne said their bodies were not recovered at the beach, but he does not have an exact location.
"Anything can happen in a body of water. People can get injured, life-threatening injuries in a pool," he said. "I think you always have to be careful and diligent when you’re entering in any waterways, especially a native waterway, where you have moving waters and the possibility of debris or rocks or anything like that."
The chief medical examiner's office will perform autopsies to determine cause and manner of death as part of the ongoing investigation with Sanford police, though police said foul play was not believed to be a factor in their deaths.
For the latest breaking news, weather, and traffic alerts, download the NEWS CENTER Maine mobile app.
Don’t miss these NEWS CENTER Maine stories
For the latest breaking news, weather, and traffic alerts, download the NEWS CENTER Maine mobile app.