Search efforts continue for missing swimmer at Malletts Bay

Colchester, Vermont – The search continues in Malletts Bay for a boater who went missing Wednesday morning. Police say a 37-year-old man jumped from his boat into the lake to help his daughter and while he was able to save her, he was unable to return to safety.

The man police are seeking is Cory Lavallee, of Colchester. He was on a dinghy with his children at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday morning, and at one point his daughter was in the water and in distress.

A nearby sailboat came to help the children get back into their boat, but the father was the only one who didn't make it. Colchester police and Vermont State Police began their search shortly after and moved to recovery efforts late Wednesday afternoon.

Colchester Police Chief Peter Hull said they were using boats equipped with sonar, which uses sound propagation to navigate and detect objects underwater. Hull said water conditions for the search were good today, but they still had no luck.

“We have sonar boats, we're doing a grid search of the area and we're diving on anything that looks like a possibility in that area,” Hull said. “You know, the weather is much better today for searching. The only real obstacle is the boat traffic, but that was kind of expected and they're working on it. We're hoping that we can find the swimmer and give the family some closure.”

While police wrapped up their search Thursday, Hull said they will continue their search in the coming days, but their efforts could be scaled back or expanded to cover a wider area. Hull said in the past, police have had success with search efforts like this, but it can sometimes take up to three or four days.