×

Missing Tupper Lake man found dead in woods

State Police investigating, but death not currently ruled suspicious

Volunteer search teams from around the region looked for a missing man from Tupper Lake in the area of Coreys Road this week. Forest rangers found the man dead in a wooded area on Tuesday. (Provided photo — Search and Rescue of the Northern Adirondacks)

TUPPER LAKE — A Tupper Lake man who had been missing since Oct. 1 was found dead by forest rangers in a wooded area half a mile from Coreys Road in the town of Harrietstown on Tuesday.

Tupper Lake Police Department Chief Eric Proulx said at around 5 p.m. Tuesday, Forest Rangers with the state Department of Environmental Conservation found the body of Jordan Beaulieu, 32, around .6 miles from the road as they searched the area around Axton Landing.

Proulx said the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation has taken over the case, looking into Beaulieu’s death, since it occurred outside the village.

“As of right now, in talking with the BCI investigators, there doesn’t appear to be anything suspicious, but cause of death at this time has not been determined,” Proulx said.

Later on Wednesday, Tupper Lake-based Franklin County Coroner Shawn Stuart said an autopsy was conducted at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady at noon Wednesday and forensic pathologist Bernard Ng determined Beaulieu’s cause of death to be hypothermia. Stuart said he could not pinpoint a date of death.

“It’s hard to tell,” Stuart said.

Beaulieu was dressed for a day hike and not prepared for a long time in the woods, according to Stuart, who said it hasn’t been very cold during the days. In the evenings, however, the low temperatures had dropped below freezing on some consecutive nights in the first two weeks Beaulieu was missing.

Police waited to tell the public that Beaulieu had been found dead until family was notified on Wednesday, according to Proulx.

Proulx said on Friday that Beaulieu was reported missing to police on Oct. 14 after being last seen on Oct. 1 and last heard from on Oct. 3.

On Saturday, police got a lead that Beaulieu was known to camp around Coreys Road near Tupper Lake. DEC police joined the search and found Beaulieu’s vehicle, unoccupied, at a trailhead. An “intensive search” of the target area started on Sunday.

State Police contributed helicopters, search dogs and dive teams to the effort.

Members from nine wilderness search-and-rescue teams in the New York State Federation of Search and Rescue Teams also volunteered: Search and Rescue of the Northern Adirondacks, Adirondack Mountain Rescue Team, Search Team 5-1, Inc. from Sacandaga, Boonville SAR, Niagara Frontier Search and Rescuer SAR, Oswego County Pioneer Search and Rescue, Lower Adirondack Search and Rescue, Dawgs Disaster and Wilderness Ground Searchers and Hudson Mohawk Search and Rescue.

Proulx said Beaulieu was an employee at Sunmount, a state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities facility in Tupper Lake, until recently.

Starting at $4.75/week.

Subscribe Today