Auburn police said late Thursday night that they had found the body of Thomas Johnston, the television meteorologist who has been missing since Monday.
In a post on the Auburn Police Department’s Facebook page, Auburn police and the Maine Warden Service said they located Johnston, a 46-year-old Old Orchard Beach resident, in Auburn.
“Any suspicion of foul play has been ruled out and the investigation is focused on an apparent suicide,” the Facebook statement said. “No further information is being released until an autopsy has been completed by the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office on Friday.”
Old Orchard Beach police had been trying to find Johnston since Monday, when he was reported missing after attending an event at Sunday River Ski Resort on Saturday.
The WCSH-TV weatherman was reported missing after he failed to return from an event at Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry on Saturday, station news anchor Rob Caldwell told viewers during the 5 p.m. broadcast. Johnston was expected to return to his home in Old Orchard Beach late Saturday or early Sunday. Detective Sgt. David Hemingway of the Old Orchard Beach Police Department said Johnston’s significant other, whom he would not identify, filed a missing person report Monday.
Johnston emceed the Springfest event Saturday and also sent back video of that day’s snowstorm for the station’s 6 p.m. newscast, the station said.
A flyer issued by the town of Old Orchard Beach said Johnston left his home early Saturday on his way to Sunday River. Police said that Johnston last had contact with his family at 10:20 p.m. Saturday.
In the Springfest video provided by WCSH-TV, Johnston appears on camera with his photographer while standing on a deck overlooking a large crowd. Johnston said the ski resort had just received a foot of fresh powder.
Old Orchard Beach said that Johnston was driving a dark gray metallic 2017 Subaru Forester with Maine license plate 3106VT.
Johnston joined the station in 2014. He was a meteorologist at several television stations in Florida, where he covered hurricanes before moving to Maine. While in Florida, he received Best Weathercast awards in 2007 and 2008 from the Florida Associated Press, according to a profile posted on the station’s website.
WCSH posted this online note to viewers Thursday night about Johnston’s death:
“We will miss that great laugh of his, his fierce competitive spirit and his love for all things weather-related.”
The message included information about suicide prevention resources.
Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
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