Freedom, NH – A 45-year-old Maine man died after entering Ossipee Lake for a swim early Saturday and failing to resurface, prompting an overnight search and drowning investigation in Carroll County.
According to New Hampshire State Police, dispatchers received a report at about 2:55 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, that a man had entered Ossipee Lake in Freedom to swim. Authorities were told he was believed to have gone underwater and could not be located.
First responders arrived and launched a search of the lake. Members of the Center Ossipee Dive Rescue Team eventually located and recovered the man from the water near the area where he was last seen going under, police said.
Despite life-saving measures, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. State police later identified him as Shawn Meader, 45, of Waterville, Maine.
Investigators said the death is not currently believed to be suspicious. However, the exact circumstances surrounding the apparent drowning remained under investigation Saturday.
New Hampshire State Police Marine Patrol officers and members of the Troop E barracks responded to the scene. Freedom police and firefighters, the Center Ossipee Dive Rescue Team and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner also assisted.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact Trooper First Class Christopher Preneveau at 603-223-8620.
The investigation remains active as authorities work to determine the circumstances that led to Meader entering the water and going under.
