Maine State Police have identified the body of woman found Saturday near the intersection of Route 3 and West Street in Bar Harbor as that of 19-year-old Mikaela Conley of Bar Harbor.
Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said in a statement late Sunday that the state medical examiner’s office confirmed her identity during an autopsy that began Sunday. He said additional work remains.
Conley’s family had reported her as missing to Bar Harbor police. Posters with her photographs had been placed all over the coastal town.
In a post on Facebook, Conley’s family said she had not been heard or seen since she disappeared Thursday.
State and local police undertook an extensive search for Conley on Saturday. McCausland said her body was discovered around noon by a state police canine in a wooded area near a local elementary school.
McCausland said Sunday night that a team of state police detectives will return to Bar Harbor on Monday to continue their investigation into Conley’s death. McCausland did not provide any other details concerning the teenager’s death.
Conley’s family mourned her loss on social media, after state police announced the discovery.
The 2 Cats Bar Harbor, a local restaurant on Cottage Street owned by Conley’s family, posted this message on Facebook: “Our hearts are broken with the loss of Mikaela. Thank you to all who searched for her and prayed for her safe return. The Island community is so close knit and caring. In our grief we are comforted by your thoughts and prayers.”
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Maine State Police in Bangor at 973-3700.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
