Fryeburg Maine – After a 4 hour rescue operation  and a 2 mile hike a group of 15 people are safe. The group set off for a camping trip around 10 am yesterday. At around 10 pm after heavy rains they had to abandon their trip, describing the river as having risen 2 feet in a matter of 10 minutes. As they attempted to return to a landing one of the canoes capsized, leaving the entire group stranded on a riverbank between Indian Acres Campground and Canal Bridge Campground. Fryeburg Police and Rescue were able to successfully get the group to safety. Fryeburg acting Police Chief Joshua Potvin said, “The group was extremely tired and lost some of their gear but overall appeared to be in good health. The collaborative efforts by police and rescue made for another successful rescue operation on the Saco.”

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Saco Maine – During a press conference this afternoon Maine State Police say the deaths of a Saco family late Saturday night was a quadruple murder-suicide. they went on to call it one of the worst cases of domestic violence in the state of Maine’s history.  Detectives said 33-year-old Joel Smith shot his family Saturday night with a 12 gauge shotgun and then turned the gun on himself. The bodies of Joel, his wife Heather Smith, and the couple’s three children — Jason Montez, 12,  Noah Montez, 7, and four year old Lily Smith were found in an apartment in Saco Maine after a maintenance worker was asked to check on them by a family friend.  Joel Smith’s body was found on the floor  with the gun by his side. There was no suicide note found. A family friend said Heather Smith told them that Joel had threatened suicide earlier that week.  Several neighbors said they had heard loud noises  Saturday night.

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Two Tubers’ trip turned into an overnight stay this weekend. Two men from southern NH found themselves a bit lost this weekend, when they lost track of their tubing group while going down what they believed was the Saco. The group ended up accidentally floating down the Swift River instead, when they put in at Bear Notch Road. 26-year-old Matthew Eillis and 21-year-old Dylan Meyers lost their group around a bend. The Party decided 2 miles into their trip to cut it short and walked to their car parked by Lower Falls. The two men continued down the river until dark only making it 1 and half miles. Their friends contacted authorities that helped in a search. Shoe-less the two men were eventually able to make their way out of the woods on their own around daybreak, both in good condition. The U.S. Forest Service prohibits swimming at Rocky Gorge, the section of river the group intended to travel, due to a dangerous waterfall. In a statement the NH Fish and Game said that the Swift River is not a recommended tubing destination, and reminds people that the Lower Falls is closed.

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