Stephen Anthony Wines was 27 years old when he was last seen on May 12, 2017, in the Cumberland and Brunswick area of Maine. He was from Bailey Island, and that evening he was out on the Androscoggin River with his older brother, William Wines. The brothers were in a small boat near Bay Bridge Landing, in the stretch of river between Bay Bridge Landing and Mustard Island, when the outing turned into an emergency.
Stephen was described as a White man with brown hair and green eyes, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 150 pounds. He was wearing a black long-sleeved Harley Davidson shirt, blue jeans, boots, and a camouflage baseball cap. He had a pierced left ear, though he was not wearing jewelry, and burn scars on the inside of one leg.
According to accounts reported after his disappearance, Stephen had said earlier that he did not feel well. Family and friends said he passed out while standing, and he fell overboard into the Androscoggin River. Witnesses on shore reported seeing the brothers in the water, and a 911 call was made at about 8:40 to 8:44 p.m. William tried to save Stephen, and later reports described him jumping into the water and attempting to bring his brother to shore. The effort lasted for a long, exhausting stretch in cold river conditions, but William could not get Stephen out of the water. Stephen was seen unresponsive in the river, and William was eventually rescued, taken to Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, treated for possible hypothermia, and released.
The initial response brought multiple agencies and search resources to the river. Brunswick and Topsham fire departments launched rescue boats, Maine Marine Patrol and the Bath harbor master searched by water, and a LifeFlight of Maine helicopter used a high-capacity spotlight and night-vision technology during the nighttime effort. The boat was recovered, and life jackets were found on board, but reports indicated that neither man had been wearing a life jacket when the incident occurred. Searchers continued into the following day, focusing heavily near Bay Bridge Landing and later expanding through the surrounding river area toward Merrymeeting Bay. The Maine Marine Patrol, Brunswick Police Department, State Police/Marine Patrol Dive Team, private boat owners, divers, volunteers, and aircraft were all part of the effort.
The river itself complicated the search. Marine Patrol officials described working around the tides because low tide exposed more land and narrowed the watercourse, making it easier to search from the air and allowing boats to concentrate on deeper areas. Even with favorable visibility in some places, the Androscoggin still had fast current, and the river temperature was reported at 54 degrees. After the most likely areas had been searched, the official search was suspended on Saturday afternoon as the tide rose and heavy rain was expected. Officials said the search would resume when conditions allowed, while volunteers and family members continued looking. Stephen’s family asked people with boats and anyone living along the river to keep watch, a reflection of the anguish and determination that followed the accident.
Stephen’s case was entered as NamUs missing person case MP38622, with the Maine Marine Patrol listed as the investigating agency. The case has been classified by The Charley Project as a lost or injured missing person case, and Stephen has been presumed drowned, though his body has not been recovered according to the available public case summary. He left behind two young children, a detail that makes the loss especially painful for those who loved him. The available public information does not state that he has been found alive or deceased, so the case remains publicly described as a missing person case. In overview, Stephen Wines disappeared after falling from a small boat into the Androscoggin River on the night of May 12, 2017; his brother tried desperately to rescue him, emergency crews and volunteers searched the river by boat, air, and dive team, weather and river conditions hampered the effort, and Stephen has remained missing from Cumberland County, Maine.Last Seen: May 12, 2017
