Wardsboro kayaker's body found

By CHRIS GAROFOLO, Reformer Staff

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Saturday, April 19

JAMAICA -- Officials Friday located the body of a Wardsboro man missing in the WestRiver since Thursday afternoon. According to Vermont State Police, individuals walking off of Old Route 30 located a body around noon on Friday, which was confirmed by an air team surveying the river. Ground teams searched and recovered the body within hours of the confirmation.

Authorities later identified the body as that of David Holcomb, 24. He was found about a 1/2 mile south of the West TownshendVillage, roughly four miles from where he put his kayak into the river. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington will conduct an autopsy at a later date.

Formal search efforts scouted the river -- estimated to be between 32-36 degrees during the time of the incident -- with swift water searchers, ground patrols, K-9 units and aircraft combing a six-mile area between Jamaica State Park and the Townshend Dam. The individuals who discovered the body were not part of the formal search, according to Detective Lt. Kraig LaPorte of the Vermont State Police. To lessen the amount of water flowing down the river to ease in finding the body, the Army Corps of Engineers reduced the flow from the Ball Mountain Dam.

Holcomb was an employee at the Wardsboro Country Store, as was Matt St. Peter, the other kayaker who was picked up by troopers Thursday afternoon.

Employees at the store declined to comment when contacted by the Reformer.

St. Peter, 27, sustained minor injuries after voluntarily capsizing his kayak because of a high level of debris in the water, according to LaPorte. Relatives of St. Peter made the journey up from Massachusetts after being contacted by authorities Thursday evening.

The two had put their kayaks into the river at JamaicaState Park on Thursday, with Holcomb in the lead, according to state police. Both men had experience kayaking on flat water, however sources close to the investigation said Holcomb had limited experience in more turbulent waters. After voluntarily leaving the boat, St. Peter eventually lot sight of Holcomb, but managed to pull himself to the edge of the river, according to LaPorte. Neither man was wearing a water-suit or lifejacket -- both men were in T-shirts and shorts, according to LaPorte -- although floatation devices were in their kayaks.

The loss of Holcomb adds to a stressful period in the surrounding towns after the bodies of Nicole Waring, 40, and daughters Dakota, 6, and Grace, 2, were found in the Wardsboro Brook on Saturday.

"It's been a difficult week," LaPorte said.

Along with the Vermont State Police, 87 officials with a number of other agencies participated in the search, including Rescue Inc., the Windham County Sheriff Department, the Upper Valley Wilderness Response Team and the fire departments of Jamaica, Wardsboro, Townshend, Brattleboro and Hartford.

Chris Garofolo can be reached at cgarofolo@reformer.com or 802-254-2311 ext. 275.