BAR HARBOR—The Bar Harbor Police and Fire Department responded to a call in downtown Bar Harbor, December 31, at a local residence on Des Isle Ave. The state police was eventually called in to investigate and the location still has a police presence.
Maine State Police Public Information Officer Shannon Moss said Monday morning that at this point she can only confirm that the agency is assisting Bar Harbor PD with a death investigation.
Maine State Police / Major Crimes Unit-North Detective Dana Austin was at the site on Sunday. Austin, who is from Hancock County received the MCU-North Detective Ben Campbell Award in June of this year.
At 2 p.m. on January 1, Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Police Chief David Kerns said, “We appreciate the community's patience and understanding as we continue this death investigation with the assistance of the Maine State Police. We do not believe there is any danger to the public and hope that everyone has faith in our agency to have relayed concerns to the public immediately, if they had existed.”
UPDATE:
The Maine State Police concluded January 2 that this likely not a suspicious death. It statement reads,
“On Sunday, December 31, 2023, at approximately 11:40 A.M., the Bar Harbor Police Department responded to a report of a death at an apartment on Des Isle Avenue, Bar Harbor. The Maine State Police responded to assist the department with the death investigation. The deceased was transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner where an autopsy was performed on Monday, January 1, 2024. Based on information gathered from the investigation and autopsy, this does not appear to be a suspicious death.”
All photos by Shaun Farrar
This story was updated at 2:04 p.m. to include a statement from Chief David Kerns.
This story was updated at 4 p.m. on January 2 to include a statement from the Maine State Police.
