BREAKING NEWS February 10th 2013: A set of human remains was discovered this evening on Vaughn's Island, a nature preserve located approximately two miles from Zachary Wells' Kennebunkport residence and only one mile from the Bush Compound on Walker's Point. The body has been transported to Maine's medical examiner for autopsy and identification. Further updates to this report, if any, will be posted here again. Original story is below, with additional coverage found in the comment section.
Zachary Wells and Prescott Wright are missing
Citing rough seas, bad weather and a lack of clues, police and rescue divers from the wintery state of Maine have officially called off the search for two university students who vanished into thin air on the 20th of December.
Yet that doesn't put an end to the mystery still surrounding this baffling disappearance.
Wells, 21 and a native of Vermont, and Wright, 23 from Massachusetts, are both graduate students at the Landing School for boat design in Arundel, Maine. They were last seen drinking beer together right around the witching hour during a small house-party hosted at Wells' home in neighboring Kennebunkport.
Where the pair of experienced boatsmen went after that nobody seems to know, but when one of Wells' roommates woke at 4AM to go downstairs and turn off a blaring stereo, he says nobody was there.
Kennebunkport is not only home to the accredited post-secondary yachting school that Wells and Wright attend, but has also been a favorite vacationing destination of the Bush family who own a sizable piece of property in that small coastal community.
Referred to generally as "the compound," the Bush's Kennebunkport mansion is situated on Walker's Point and has been in the family for over a century. The historic and stately residence is only about three miles from Wells' and Wright's last known location and is primarily used during the summer months, but heavily guarded year-round by Secret Service agents.
Even the air space over the Bush compound has been formally declared 'prohibited' by the U.S. government.
Referred to generally as "the compound," the Bush's Kennebunkport mansion is situated on Walker's Point and has been in the family for over a century. The historic and stately residence is only about three miles from Wells' and Wright's last known location and is primarily used during the summer months, but heavily guarded year-round by Secret Service agents.
Even the air space over the Bush compound has been formally declared 'prohibited' by the U.S. government.
Landing School administrators, friends and family all assert that neither missing young man had a history of unexplained absences or wandering off even for a day without telling anyone.
Moreover, each left behind a cell phone and a wallet, and were anticipating traveling soon to their respective states in order to spend the Christmas holidays with family.
Only one of the men owns a vehicle--that too remained parked in Wells' driveway.
Investigators say there was no evidence of any disturbance at Wells' Kennebunkport home and the intensive weeklong search in water and on land for the missing men only produced their clothes and two life vests, but "no signs of foul play."
These items were discovered strewn on a small, nearby island which is accessible from shore by foot during low tides, but otherwise cut off except by watercraft.
Police theorize the two may have kayaked there and gotten stranded, but all boating vehicles in the immediate area appear to be accounted for, and none have been reported stolen after the fact.
Officials also say that while they were utilizing sophisticated sonar to scan the sea bottom in the vicinity of where Wells and Wright were last known to be, they received two distinct blips on the radar. However, when divers specifically checked in those locations they reportedly found nothing of interest.
So...what's your theory then?
1. Did Wells and Wright muck out onto temporarily exposed sandbars in a drunken stupor, then accidentally fall in when wading back and drown trying to save each other?
2. Had the hapless twosome inadvertently trespassed onto forbidden land in their early morning meanderings and met up with some dire consequences?
3. Were they abducted for a soon-to-be-announced ransom and their clothing placed on the desolate island as a distraction by the perpetrators?
4. Did one friend slay the other in an inebriated fit of anger and then go into hiding in hopes the matter blows over someday?
5. Have these clever guys elaborately staged a dual disappearance and death so to run away together and start a brand new life?
6. Or did the 'Smiley Face' killers deviate from their usual motif of only one victim per locale per night, in search of more challenging prey?
Looking forward to the answers. In the meantime, anyone who has any information whatsoever about this very strange missing persons case is asked to contact the Kennebunkport Police Department at 207-967-2454.
Wells is described as black-haired with hazel eyes, five-foot-eight and 150 pounds. Wright is brown-haired and blue-eyed, six-foot-four and 200 pounds. Both men are, evidently, naked.
Wells is described as black-haired with hazel eyes, five-foot-eight and 150 pounds. Wright is brown-haired and blue-eyed, six-foot-four and 200 pounds. Both men are, evidently, naked.
