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A 19-year-old former college student in Maine who disappeared two months ago was found dead Tuesday in a pond near his apartment complex, according to authorities.
Chance Lauer was last seen on Jan. 19 at the Orchard Trail Apartments in Orono where he lived, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife said in a news release during the search.
At the time of his disappearance, Lauer’s wallet was found in his room and his phone was turned off, the Orono Police Department previously said, noting that Lauer did not have a vehicle.
Police said officers found a body in the pond after a citizen called the department on Tuesday. The body was recovered with help from the Maine Warden Service and positively identified as Lauer.
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Chance Lauer, 19, was found dead in a pond near his apartment complex in Orono, Maine, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, police said. (Orono Police Department)
Police said that “at this point there is nothing suspicious about the death,” though did not indicate how Lauer died. An autopsy was pending.
According to FOX22 Bangor, an individual who identified themselves as a family member of Lauer wrote on social media Wednesday that “he was recovered from a pond near his Orono apartment yesterday afternoon. He went out for a walk 8 weeks ago and fell through the ice.”
Lauer disappeared near the Orchard Trail Apartments in Orono, Maine, where he lived, authorities previously said. (Google Maps)
The pond has reportedly been a focal point of the search for Lauer.
Robert Bowie, director of Downeast Emergency Medicine Institute (DEEMI), told the outlet in a statement on Wednesday that “the pond has been an area of interest since the beginning, as apartment employee interviews indicated it as an area he would frequent.”
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“DEEMI has launched multiple drone imaging missions over the search area, including the pond, both infrared and high resolution digital imaging,” Bowie said. “There have been at least 3 imaging missions of this area of interest, and more were planned.”
Police thanked the Maine Warden Service, University of Maine and search volunteers for their help in trying to locate Lauer.
A sign at the entrance to the University of Maine campus in Orono, Maine, on July 22, 2016. (iStock)
“The Orono Police Department and the Town of Orono want to extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Lauer,” police said.
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Lauer was enrolled at the University of Maine from September 2024 through December 2025, the school confirmed to PEOPLE.
The school told WMTW-TV that Lauer was not enrolled at the time he went missing.
