Nova Scotia man drowns in waters near shore in Perry

The Maine State Medical Examiner's Office has determined that the 28-year-old Nova Scotia man whose body was found on the Perry shore on Sunday, August 3, was a victim of accidental drowning.

Sgt. John Cody of the Maine State Police says an autopsy was performed on Alexander Doyle, who was the object of a large-scale search by the Maine Warden Service and state police after he was reported missing on Saturday, August 2. Sgt. Cody reports that Doyle, who has relatives in the Perry and Pleasant Point area, arrived on Friday afternoon, August 1, "with plans to participate in blueberry harvesting and attend a commercial driver's training course while he was here. He planned to stay for several weeks."

Investigators discovered that Doyle had attended a gathering in Perry on Friday night and reportedly left there past midnight with a 21-year-old woman. "It was raining and foggy," says Cody. "At some point, they opted to go through a wooded area and became separated. She continued on to her home. He may have been disoriented due to the darkness, weather and unfamiliarity with the area."

When law enforcement officials were unable to find Doyle on Saturday, Cody says the Maine Warden Service really stepped up efforts to locate him on Sunday. Doyle's body was discovered by a warden canine team at 7:30 p.m. that evening, at low tide, lying on the clam flats on the Perry side of the Old Toll Bridge Road.

Pleasant Point Police Chief Joseph Barnes says the deceased man was the adopted son of the late Alexander "Bib" Doyle and his wife. "They lived here, and Bib worked on the fire department with my father, but they moved to Nova Scotia many years ago."