Game wardens have recovered the body of a South Berwick woman from the Saco River. Shortly after noon today, divers recovered the body of 38-year-old Jennifer Bousquet. A search has been ongoing since 4 p.m., Saturday, May 27, when game wardens were first notified that Bousquet went missing in the river. She and her boyfriend, Brian Day, 54, also from South Berwick, were paddling the Saco River when their canoe overturned. Day was able to make it to safety. 

Bousquet’s body was located about 350 yards downstream from where it is believed she entered the water. Her body was located in about eight feet of water by a game warden diver. With the recent rains, river levels were high and conditions were dangerous for divers. Several factors made search and recovery efforts both dangerous and time consuming. High water levels, poor visibility, cold water temperatures and considerable river debris challenged divers during this four-day search and recovery effort. Additional search equipment such as remote cameras were used underwater to search hard to reach and dangerous areas containing debris.

Search and rescue K9 teams from the Warden Service also combed the shorelines of the river since Saturday to help locate Bousquet’s body. Lifejackets were located at the scene; Bousquet was not wearing a lifejacket when recovered. This case remains under investigation by the Maine Warden Service.

Game wardens continue to investigate a separate incident involving two Fryeburg police officers who crashed their patrol boat on the Saco River as they responded to the incident above. One officer from that crash remains in critical condition today at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.