STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE POLICE
CASE#: 26B1000332
RANK/TROOPER FULL NAME: Sgt. Stacy Corliss
STATION: VSP Westminster Barracks
CONTACT#: 802-722-4600
DATE/TIME: 5:55 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026
INCIDENT LOCATION: Bridge Street, Bellows Falls, VT
INCIDENT: Missing person
NAME: Phineas Tillman
AGE: 24
CITY, STATE OF RESIDENCE: Grafton, VT
SUMMARY OF INCIDENT:
First responders including the Vermont State Police are investigating a missing persons case in the area of Bellows Falls, Vermont. The investigation began at about 5:55 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, when police received a report that 24-year-old Phineas Tillman had left home in Grafton, and the caller was concerned for his welfare. Initial investigation led police to Bridge Street in Bellows Falls, where further evidence indicated Phineas might have entered the Connecticut River.
Search assets have included the Vermont State Police’s Field Force Division and Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program, along with multiple other agencies in Vermont and New Hampshire. The Connecticut River lies entirely within New Hampshire, and search efforts on the water are being led by teams from that state in coordination with VSP.
The disappearance is not considered suspicious. Anyone with information on Phineas’s whereabouts or who has information that could assist investigators should call the Westminster Barracks at 802-722-4600 or leave an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
No additional details are available. The state police will provide updates as the search continues.
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