Suspect Robert Card’s Subaru was found near a boat launch, stirring questions about him possibly using the Androscoggin River to escape.
After a two-day manhunt, there is still no sign of the suspect authorities say is responsible for the mass shooting in Maine that left 18 people dead.
Suspect Robert Card’s Subaru was found near a boat launch, stirring questions about him possibly using the Androscoggin River to escape.
The 164-mile-long river is part of a network of waterways that could take the 40-year-old to the Atlantic Ocean.
Fishing guide captain Chris Grill tried to retrace Card’s possible escape route.
“If you look around, everywhere you look, you’re going to see another island,” Grill says. “Most of them are uninhabited. I think a person could hide out on these islands for some time.”
There are also many hiding places in the woods by the river.
Grill says people who stay near the Androscoggin River over the summer have left, leaving many homes empty.
According to police, Card owns a 15-foot boat and a Sea-Doo jet ski. He is also a deer hunter and an expert U.S. Army Reserve marksman.
People were also searching the river Friday near the boat landing where Card abandoned his car. One possibility is that Card may have committed suicide.
Remotely operated vehicles were searching underwater.
“They could be dragging a diver behind them literally while that diver is checking for evidence, checking for potential bodies,” Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said.
Card left a suicide note addressed to his son.
Hopes for his capture were raised Thursday night when law enforcement in combat gear surrounded Card’s last known address and called on him to surrender. But, the suspect was not inside.
Residents in Lewiston and surrounding towns continue to be under a shelter-in-place order, including anxious students at Bates College.
“This is kind of like my worst nightmare actualized. Growing up in schools in America, you are fearful for your life, like mass shootings are unfortunately way too common. It’s just so scary,” one student says.
Commissioner Sauschuck admitted that if Card is still alive, he could strike again.
“Every minute that this goes on we’re more and more concerned because what’s the next thing that’s going to happen,” Sauschuck said. “That’s why we’re working 24/7.”
