By Mike Donoghue, Senior Correspondent
A 19-year-old Hartland man was found dead on the banks of the Ottauquechee River about 17 hours after he crashed his car into a tree off of East Woodstock Road, Woodstock Police said.
The body of Benjamin Johnsen was transported to the office of Vermont Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death, police said.
Woodstock Police, in a brief news release, said the man’s death did not appear suspicious, but did not elaborate on its reasoning.
Police said it received word about a car crash on East Woodstock Road near Britten Lane about 11:06 p.m. Friday. Police said it found a grey 2013 Infiniti G37 sedan had crashed off the road into a tree.
Investigation revealed Johnsen was the driver, and he had left the crash scene prior to the arrival of law enforcement, police said. There was no indication that Woodstock Fire and Rescue were called, but Woodstock Police said it was unable to locate Johnsen as the overnight temperature dropped below freezing.
The press release never reported which direction the car was headed when it crashed or how much damage the Infiniti sustained.
The news release said that at about noon on Saturday, the missing man’s father, Bruce Johnsen, arrived at the Woodstock Police Station to report his son missing. Woodstock Police said it began a missing person investigation and brought in additional, unspecified resources to investigate the case.
A body was found about 4:16 p.m. on the banks of the Ottauquechee River near Old River Road and Rolling Ridge Drive, police said. Woodstock Emergency personnel responded and pronounced the unknown man deceased. He was later identified as Johnsen, police said.
Woodstock Police said it secured the area and initiated a death investigation. It was unclear from the news release if the Windsor County State’s Attorney’s Office or the local medical examiner were contacted.
Interim Police Chief Chris O’Keeffe did not respond to multiple phone and text messages since Saturday.
The death has generated considerable local discussion on social media, including more than 100 comments, 66 shares, and 543 reaction emojis on the Woodstock Police Facebook page as of early Sunday afternoon.
The Windsor County Sheriff’s Department, which covers the town of Hartland, was not asked to help with the search, Sheriff Ryan Palmer said when reached by phone Sunday.
