A Maine community is mourning after Sharon Bukulmez, 61, of Mount Desert, and her two young grandchildren, Kinsley Grubb, 5, and Sawyer Grubb, 3, were found dead inside a submerged vehicle in Pond Cove in Roque Bluffs.
Maine State Police said Bukulmez and the children were last seen at approximately 8:30 p.m. Saturday, September 19, after leaving a family function in Jonesboro. The three were traveling toward Machias but did not arrive as expected.
After concerns were raised about their whereabouts, law enforcement began searching for the family. The Bar Harbor Police Department obtained cellphone location information from Bukulmez's phone, which indicated a location in the water near the boat ramp at the end of Schoppee Point Road in Roque Bluffs.
Maine State Police troopers, members of the State Police Dive Team, and Maine Marine Patrol responded to the area. At approximately 7 a.m. Sunday, authorities located the vehicle submerged in Pond Cove.
The bodies of Bukulmez and both children were recovered from the water along with the vehicle. The Washington County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Coast Guard also assisted at the scene.
The victims were taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta, where autopsies are expected to determine the cause and manner of their deaths. Police have not released a cause of the incident.
The circumstances surrounding how the vehicle entered Pond Cove remain under investigation. Authorities have not announced whether the incident was accidental or involved any other factors.
For the families of Bukulmez, Kinsley, and Sawyer, the discovery has brought devastating news after hours of searching for their loved ones.
The investigation remains ongoing, and Maine State Police said no additional information was being released at the time of the initial announcement.
