54-Year-Old Man Drowns in Western Maine’s Aziscohos Lake

A West Baldwin man drowned in a remote lake in western Maine on Monday while trying to swim to shore after mooring his boat in front of his camp.

The Maine Warden Service reports 54-year-old Michael Shields had attached his boat to the mooring on Aziscohos Lake at around 11:30 a.m. Shields was attempting to swim back to shore when he went under the water about 50 yards from his camp and never resurfaced, according to spokesman Mark Latti.

Shield’s wife and father-in-law both saw him go under but were unable to locate him. With no cell coverage in the area, they drove 17 miles down a dirt road to get to a landline at Black Brook Cove Camp to call for help, Latti said.

Maine Warden Service Pilot Jeff Beach launched his plane soon afterwards to try to spot Shields from the air. A Maine Forest Service helicopter also flew two state police divers and their equipment to the remote lake in Lincoln Plantation to assist in the search and recovery.

Later in the afternoon, both pilots observed something in the water near the shore, Latti said. The two divers recovered Shield’s body in about ten feet of water at about 6:30 p.m. Monday.

The body was transported to the Wiles Funeral Home, where an examination will be performed by the State Medical Examiner.

The Maine Warden Service was assisted in the search and recovery by the Rangeley Fire Department, Wilsons Mills Fire Department, Maine Forest Service, Maine State Police Dive Team, Maine Marine Patrol and the U.S. Border Patrol.

The Warden Service says a 40-year-old Portland man drowned Sunday after his fishing raft overturned on the East Outlet of Moosehead Lake.