Written by Kate Hirsch
Photo: Courtesy of Freeport Maine Police Department
14-year-old Theo Ferrara disappeared last Thursday afternoon and was reported missing after being seen walking away from his home in Freeport, Maine towards Brunswick.
At 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, his body was spotted by a Marine Patrol plane flying over the ocean searching for the teen. Ferrara was identified by the State Medical Examiner’s office that very afternoon, according to People.
Ferrara’s body was retrieved from the water of Maquoit Bay in Brunswick near the Freeport town line by volunteers who had been searching the area during the past days, says WGME. The Freeport Police Department is still investigating why Ferrara left home that day, and how his body ended up in the water, claiming that their work is far from over.
“As you can imagine, this is not the outcome that myself and my colleagues gathered here together had wanted,” Freeport Police Chief Nate Goodman said. “We’re all human. We all feel it. It’s devastating for all of us.”
Ferrara was a student at Regional School Unit 5, where it was announced that the cafeteria at Freeport High School would remain open for students to gather on September 27th until 9 p.m., reports NBC. The school is offering counselors for any student in need of support during this time, and encouraging parents to similarly offer space for their children to talk, if necessary. St. Jude Church also reported that they would remain open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., with downstairs space available for gathering to support the community.
