Game wardens are investigating the death of a Greenville man found dead this morning in Moosehead Lake. The body of Matthew Dubien, age 46, was found in open water this morning near Hartford’s Point. Dubien had been missing since 11 p.m., March 6, after leaving a local restaurant on his 1995 Polaris Indy 500 snowmobile, according to a news release from the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Game wardens were notified this morning by Dubien’s family when they realized he had not made it home. An intensive search began this morning using snowmobiles and a Warden Service aircraft. 

At around 9 a.m., March 7, game wardens searched the west shore of Moosehead Lake, an area known to have open water near Hartford’s Point. A game warden first discovered Dubien’s snowmobile helmet and soon found the body of Matthew Dubien nearby in open water. Game wardens recovered Dubien’s body with a Maine Warden Service airboat later this morning. The investigation continues to help determine contributing factors that may have played a role in this incident.

Many of Maine’s lakes, to include Moosehead Lake, now have several open areas of water that just a few weeks ago, were covered in ice. Anyone accessing Maine’s waterways must be certain of ice conditions, especially at night. In addition, many lakes have formed pressure ridges. With the recent warm temperatures, open water areas have become larger and more prevalent and will likely worsen with the anticipated heavy snowfall. This latest incident is Maine’s sixth snowmobiling related fatality this season.  

This seasons snowmobile related deaths:

December 13, 2017-Rockwood: A 55-year-old North Carolina man died as a result of his snowmobile rolling onto him.

February 10, 2018-Corinna: A 44-year-old Sangerville man was killed when he collided with a tree. 

February 17, 2018-Smithfield: A 53-year-old Smithfield man was killed when he collided with a tree.

February 18, 2018-Hermon: A 33-year-old man and his 10-year-old son were both killed when their snowmobile collided with a tree.