Body found believed to be that of missing Quebec man

    UMBAZOOKSUS LAKE — On May 6 a Maine game warden pilot was surveying ice conditions on northern Maine lakes. While inspecting ice conditions the pilot also scanned the area for missing Canadian resident, Renald Poulin. At approximately 10:45 a.m. he observed what he believed to be a body in Umbazooksus Lake in northern Piscataquis County.

    Game wardens on the ground arrived several hours later with watercraft to retrieve the body which was located approximately two miles northwest of Umbazooksus Dam on the western shore of the lake. The Maine Warden Service believes the body to be that of Poulin, 67, of St. Come, Quebec. The body will be examined by the Medical Examiner’s Office in Augusta to positively determine identification. The Maine Warden Service has been in contact with the family of Poulin since the search began in November.
    While searching for two Millinocket men in an unrelated search, game wardens located a vehicle owned by a man from Quebec for whom authorities from Canada had also been searching. The search was suspended on Dec. 13 as heavy snow began to fall in the search area. Search efforts were to resume when temperatures began to melt snow in that region this spring.
    Poulin crossed into the U.S. on Nov. 26 and was to return the next day. On Nov. 30 game wardens located his green 2002 Kia Sedona. Poulin was not hunting; it is believed that he had interest in the train rail systems located in the Umbazooksus Lake area used decades ago in the logging industry.
    The ice on Umbazooksus Lake and nearby small bogs and wet areas made detecting evidence of Poulin especially difficult. Weather conditions needed to improve significantly before further searching occurred. Search teams conducted a combination of grid, hasty and K9 team searches. Temperatures remained at approximately 10 and snow began to fall during the last days of searching in December. The ground search was suspended but aerial flights had started to occur again this spring as snow and ice began to melt in that region. Ground searching was planned.