Update No. 1: Crews recover body from Lamoille River in Fairfax

STATE OF VERMONT

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY

VERMONT STATE POLICE

Crews recover body from Lamoille River in Fairfax

FAIRFAX, Vermont (Friday, July 3, 2026) — Shortly after 7:15 p.m. Thursday, crews from Colchester Technical Rescue located the body of a man in the Lamoille River in Fairfax where a swimmer had been reported missing earlier in the evening.

The body was recovered and brought to shore. The victim will be transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. The man’s identity will be withheld pending notification of relatives. No one else was injured in this incident.

VSP will provide additional information as the investigation continues.

***Initial news release, 7:15 p.m. Thursday, July 2, 2026***

Multiple emergency crews including the Vermont State Police are responding to a report of a missing man in the Lamoille River in the Franklin County town of Fairfax.

The incident was reported at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 2, near Cleary Road off Vermont Route 104. Preliminary reports indicated a man and a child were swimming in the river when the man began to struggle in the water. A neighbor launched a kayak and helped the child to shore, but the man did not resurface.

A search is underway on the river and includes the Vermont State Police, Colchester Technical Rescue, Milton Police Department, Johnson Fire Department, Fairfax Fire Department, Fairfax Rescue, and game wardens from the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife.

Search crews plan to remain on scene as long as conditions permit Thursday night.

No further information is currently available. VSP will provide updates as the search continues.

The Vermont State Police has responded to three suspected drowning incidents in the past 24 hours. VSP reminds the public that state waterways are running high and have strong currents following recent thunderstorms and rainy weather. People should be mindful of conditions and take precautions before entering any body of water, including checking water levels, flow rates, weather forecasts and the potential for underwater obstacles; using a buddy system; and always swimming sober.

For more information about swimming safely in natural environments, see this online American Red Cross resource.

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