death investigation

Missing Wrentham man found dead in his car in Hamilton pond

Steve Perry had gotten lost while driving Saturday, police said, speaking to him while he traveled through Rhode Island, Connecticut and the Boston area, and is believed to have accidentally driven into Chebacco Lake

A dive team at Chebacco Lake in Hamilton, Massachusetts, where the body of a missing man from Wrentham was found on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023.
NBC10 Boston/Stringer

A missing man was found dead in a pond in Hamilton, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, police said.

Police had been looking for Steve Perry, a 73-year-old retired truck driver, who hadn't returned home in Wrentham Saturday and was lost as he drove around southern New England. Wrentham police said he'd wanted to go to a local restaurant, then head home.

Police reached Perry by phone several times while was driving, they said Sunday, but he had gotten lost on Interstate 495, visiting in Providence, Rhode Island; Connecticut south of Hartford; and then the Greater Boston area, in Revere Beach, near Manchester-by-the-Sea and finally near Salem.

His body was found Wednesday in his car, which was submerged in the pond in Hamilton, Wrentham police said.

"Preliminary investigation indicates Mr. Perry was driving in the Hamilton, Mass. area when he entered a darkened roadway that led to a pond/boat landing. Apparently disoriented, Mr. Perry accidentally drove into the water, submerging his vehicle, resulting in his death," the agency said in a Facebook post.

Hamilton police said the man was found near the Chebacco Lake boat ramp with the help of the Hamilton and Beverly fire departments. State police were investigating the death.

Hamilton is about 50 miles from Wrentham.

Perry hadn't been diagnosed with any cognitive ailments, police said in their initial post.

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