Elderly man apparently drowned in Newfound Lake

BRIDGEWATER — An 83-year-old lakeside resident is dead, his body found in about four feet of water on Wednesday morning.

The State Medical Examiner was called to Newfound Lake from Ossipee to rule on the apparent drowning.

The man was identified as Lawrence Cross of 1074 Mayhew Turnpike.

Local authorities received word of the death from a neighbor who called at 8:38 a.m. to report having found the man about 20 yards offshore from Mayhew Turnpike (Route 3). Neighbors were alerted when they found the man’s dog unattended.

While the report came from Bridgewater, the town line runs along the lakefront, so the unresponsive man was technically in Bristol, according to Bristol Police Chief James McIntire. Bristol, Alexandria, and Hebron fire departments responded with their boats, and personnel from the Bridgewater Fire Department went to speak with the person who made the report. They discovered the unresponsive victim just offshore in about four feet of water, and brought him to the edge of the lake until there was an official declaration from the Medical Examiner.

The ruling was that it was death by drowning, but an autopsy was scheduled to take place on Thursday.

Bristol, Bridgewater and Alexandria police departments responded to the call, as did members of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, who were training across the lake, and members of the New Hampshire State Police.

Lake drownings fall under the jurisdiction of the Marine Patrol, which conducted the formal investigation into the death.

New Hampton provided an ambulance to cover the Bristol Fire Station.

Bristol Fire Chief Ben LaRoche said the lake temperature remains low after a late ice-out, and warned users to employ appropriate safety equipment, such as personal flotation devices, when out on the water. He noted that hypothermia can occur at any time of the year, but especially during the spring.