Death of man found in river in Westport could be linked to Sunday's storm

FAIRFIELD, CT (WFSB) – Fairfield police are investigating whether a man’s death is related to last week’s historic flooding.

They identified the man as 59-year-old Robert Macisaac of Weston.

Macisaac was found dead in the Aspetuck River in the area of ​​Bayberry Lane and Easton Road in Westport.

At around 12:40 p.m. Thursday, Fairfield police said they were notified by Weston police of a submerged vehicle on the river behind Aspetuck Falls in Fairfield.

“The vehicle had probably been at this location for several days and was found unoccupied,” said Sergeant Michael Stahl of the Fairfield police.

When Fairfield police arrived, they confirmed that the vehicle appeared to be unoccupied.

“A Fairfield police diver also confirmed that no one was inside the vehicle and that there were no people in or near the water near the vehicle,” Stahl said. “Further investigation revealed evidence that the driver of the vehicle may have been inside the vehicle when it entered the water.”

Police determined that the owner of the vehicle was last seen around 5 p.m. on August 18, the day of the historic floods.

“The vehicle was reportedly last seen in Wilton around 10 p.m. that evening,” Stahl said. “Based on these findings, a recovery operation was initiated.”

On Thursday at around 5:25 p.m., Macisaac was found dead in the river.

“A preliminary investigation suggests the incident may be related to severe weather conditions in the area last Sunday, although the exact cause of the vehicle leaving the road remains under investigation,” Stahl said.

Police said the official cause of death would be determined by the chief medical examiner's office.

All rights reserved.