The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that a Standish man died Monday afternoon at a popular swimming area on Sebago Lake.
Capt. Donald Foss identified the victim as Harold Gauld, 28, of Standish, in a statement on Tuesday. Foss said it appears that Gauld may have suffered a medical event before becoming submerged underwater, which is why the department is investigating the cause of his death.
Foss said detectives are trying to help the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determine whether Gauld died from a medical event, from drowning, or a combination of both.
The incident took place about 2 p.m. Monday while Gauld was swimming in about 4 feet of water at Rich Memorial Beach on Sebago Lake. The popular swimming area is located at the end of Newbegin Way off Harmon’s Beach Road in Standish.
“After not resurfacing, Gauld was quickly pulled onto the beach,” Foss said in the release. “Several registered nurses who were at the beach performed CPR until emergency medical services arrived and took over. First responders also performed life saving measures for an extended period but unfortunately, they were not able to revive Mr. Gauld.”
“The Sheriff’s Office offers our condolences to Mr. Gauld’s family. We would like to thank the bystanders on the beach, who quickly sprang into action and gave their best efforts to revive Mr. Gauld,” Foss said.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less