Paul Blanco was 45 years old when he was last known to have contact on February 24, 2007, in Naples, Maine, near Sebago Lake. Public missing-person records list him as a White/Caucasian man with brown hair and brown eyes, approximately 5 feet 9 inches to 6 feet tall and about 190 to 200 pounds. NamUs lists the case as Missing Person / NamUs #MP51807, with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Bureau of Warden Service, identified in the case information as the investigating
agency.
The events began during a snowmobile ride across Sebago Lake. Contemporary reporting described Paul, of Carlisle, Massachusetts, traveling with two other men when the group came upon open water on the lake. The other riders were able to make it across, but wardens believed Paul did not. Later accounts explained that the riders had been out on frozen lakes earlier that day before encountering the dangerous opening in the ice on Sebago Lake. In that sudden and frightening moment, the men attempted to cross the water, a maneuver often referred to as “skimming,” but Paul’s attempt ended in tragedy.
Search efforts focused on the lake after the incident. Public case information states that Paul’s snowmobile was found submerged in the water, with the NamUs case data describing it as being located in about 7 feet of water and roughly 700 feet from shore. News coverage from the time reported that divers found his snowmobile but did not find Paul, and that the search was suspended after three full days of searching by wardens. Another report described him as missing and presumed drowned, while noting that there was still no sign of him after the snowmobile was recovered.
Paul’s absence left behind more than a case file. An obituary published by the Boston Globe through Legacy described Paul Blanco as 45, of Carlisle and formerly of Arlington, and said he died in an accident on February 24. It named his wife, Janet R. Blanco, his daughter, Julia Claire Blanco, and stepchildren Bethany Lee and Timothy Lee, along with other family members. That public memorial gives a glimpse of the family and loved ones affected by the loss, while the NamUs record remains a missing-person case listing without public recovery circumstances or a stated case resolution.
The case of Paul Blanco centers on a winter ride that turned suddenly dangerous on Sebago Lake: a 45-year-old husband, father, and family member went snowmobiling near Naples, encountered open water, and disappeared after his snowmobile sank. His machine was recovered from the lake, but publicly available missing-person information does not document a recovery of Paul himself or provide a formal resolution status. In overview, this is a case shaped by a clear last known event, an immediate water search, the recovery of key equipment, and the lingering absence of a public account explaining that Paul was ever found, leaving the record as both a missing-person listing and a deeply personal loss for those who knew and loved him.Last Seen: Feb 24, 2007
