Death of Eastport man who left hospital in storm is investigated

A Machias Police Department investigation is under way into the death of a 61-year-old Eastport man, whose body was discovered partially buried beneath a pile of newly fallen snow on Wednesday, January 2, about 400 feet from the Machias hospital from which he had checked himself out the night before.

Reid Emery was found by Eastport Police Chief Matt Vinson at 1:40 p.m. in a wooded area behind the Down East Community Hospital (DECH). Emery's son, Mark, is an Eastport police officer, and members of the Eastport Police Department were assisting other law enforcement officials in hunting for the missing man. Family members say the elder Emery was only wearing a shirt, jeans and slippers when he checked himself out of the hospital during a storm that dropped about 10 inches of snow on the Machias area.

Reid Emery's sister, Peggy Segien, says he was admitted "for pain in the stomach" to the Machias hospital on December 27. When he checked himself out, wearing only light clothing and leaving his winter jacket behind in the hospital, officials didn't telephone his wife Margaret "for some time after he had left the hospital," Segien says.

Robin Popp, spokesperson for DECH, says hospital policy prevents her from talking about a specific patient, other than confirming that Emery did sign himself out of the hospital. "In general, we can't prevent a patient from leaving, even against medical advice, if [the patient] is competent."

A portion of the Down East Community Hospital Policy and Procedure Manual notes, "When a patient leaves against the advice of his physician a release form must be signed by the patient or a responsible relative and witnessed by the nurse. The attending physician will be notified as soon as patient voices intent to leave AMA." It also states, "It is the responsibility of the nurse to give pertinent instructions, prescriptions or supplies to patient on discharge. Members of the nursing staff will be responsible for teaching and/or instructing the patient those things he needs to know regarding his disease process and associated health maintenance, activity status, therapeutic diets, medications, treatments, dressings following discharge from the hospital.... The patient (or significant other) and nurse will sign the discharge instruction sheet indicating instructions were given by the nurse and understood by the patient."

Machias Police Chief Grady Dwelley says his department was contacted by DECH at about 9:30 p.m. on January 1. "They wanted us to check on the whereabouts of a man who had checked out of the hospital against medical advice." Dwelley says he spent the next six hours, with assistance from Sgt. Rodney Merritt of the Washington County Sheriff's Department and Machias Fire Chief Joey Dennison, hunting for Emery in the snowstorm. The Machias police chief asked the Regional Communications Center to alert the Maine Warden Service and ask if a canine was available, "but none materialized. I was told it was 'fruitless' to have a dog hunt in that snow."

Dwelley says that in his 36 years in law enforcement, both in and out of Maine, the weather conditions for the search were about the worst he'd ever experienced. "Quite frankly, the weather was so bad, there were no tracks. Even my own footprints in and out of the hospital were quickly covered with snow. Also, we had no information to go on. Even the family could tell us nothing. He didn't have family here. He didn't have friends here. We didn't know if he knew anybody at the veterans home."

Because of the worsening weather conditions, Dwelley had to stop the search at about 3 a.m. Before that, he had contacted both the Department of Transportation and local private plow operators to keep an eye out for Emery in case he was walking along the road. Motels and convenience stores were checked, and the fire department's thermal imaging camera was used to hunt for the missing man.

Deborah Turcotte of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife confirms that the Machias Police Department alerted her department on New Year's Day at 11:30 p.m. that Emery was missing. "We were asked for help in the morning," reports Turcotte, saying that nine game wardens joined officers from the Machias and Eastport police departments in the search. Also assisting from the DIF&W was a plane and a canine unit.

Dwelley was ill from the night before, but the Machias police department became the command post for the hunt.

"It was a terrible tragedy hampered by weather conditions," sums up Dwelley. "We had little or no information, and we were maybe an hour or more behind because the hospital was busy. We did everything we could with the resources and manpower we had."

As for the investigation into Reid Emery's death, the Machias police chief says his department has been conducting interviews, is waiting to hear the coroner's report, and is working with the Maine State Police as well as the licensing division of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

Popp reports that the hospital is cooperating "fully" with an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services. What happened to Emery was "very unfortunate and an unprecedented event," she says. "Our hearts go out to the family."