STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
CASE#: 26B5004806
RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME: Trooper Josh Gurwicz
STATION: New Haven Barracks
CONTACT#: 802-388-4919
DATE/TIME: About 4:05 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026
INCIDENT LOCATION: Kingsland Bay, Ferrisburgh, VT
INCIDENT TYPE: Missing person - body recovered
VICTIM: Douglas Brooks
AGE: 48
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Burlington, VT
SUMMARY OF INCIDENT:
At about 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, the Vermont State Police Underwater Recovery Team located the body of a man in Kingsland Bay on Lake Champlain in Ferrisburgh. Crews recovered the body and brought the victim to shore for transport to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington.
The victim is identified as 48-year-old Douglas Brooks of Burlington. The Chief Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy to confirm the victim’s identity and determine the cause and manner of death.
VSP on Tuesday was assisted by the New York State Police Underwater Recovery Team. The Vermont State Police thanks the numerous local, state and federal agencies that assisted in this search.
***Update No. 2, 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9, 2026***
The search for a missing fisherman on Lake Champlain in Ferrisburgh continued from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9. The Burlington man was not located.
Crews plan to return to Kingsland Bay at 9 a.m. Tuesday to continue the search.
***Update No. 1, 6:45 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026***
Search efforts continued through the day Sunday, Nov. 8, on Kingsland Bay in Ferrisburgh for a man who went missing after falling into Lake Champlain on Saturday. The man was not located.
Crews on scene Sunday included the Vermont State Police Underwater Recovery Team, the U.S. Coast Guard, and an airplane crew from the U.S. Border Patrol.
The search is expected to resume Monday morning.
***Initial news release, 7:55 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026***
The Vermont State Police is investigating the disappearance of a man who was reported to have fallen from a small fishing boat into Lake Champlain in Ferrisburgh on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 7, 2026.
The man, a 48-year-old resident of Burlington, Vermont, was not wearing a life jacket when he fell into Kingsland Bay at about 4 p.m., according to a companion who was also on the boat. The friend attempted to search for the missing man, but he did not resurface, and the search was unsuccessful.
Members of the Vermont State Police and other emergency crews including wardens from the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Ferrisburgh Fire Department responded to the bay. The Coast Guard is expected to continue search efforts through the night. VSP’s Underwater Recovery Team and Bureau of Criminal Investigations plan to join the search and recovery operation Sunday morning, Nov. 8. VSP’s Victim Services Unit is providing assistance. There are no indications at this time that the disappearance is suspicious.
The name of the missing man is being withheld pending further investigation and notification of relatives.
Anyone with information that might assist in this case should call the New Haven Barracks at 802-388-4919.
No additional details are currently available. The state police will provide updates as the investigation continues.
- 30 -
.png)