15-year-old found dead after canoe capsizes on NH lake, authorities say

RAYMOND, N.H. – — A 15-year-old boy is dead after a canoe carrying several teenagers capsized late Saturday night on a New Hampshire lake.

According to the New Hampshire Department of Safety, first responders were dispatched to Governor’s Lake in Raymond in the area of Governors Drive around 11:53 p.m. after a 911 call reported that a canoe carrying multiple teens had flipped over. The caller said that one teen was missing and believed to still be in the water.

Marine Patrol officers, along with members of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, Raymond Police Department, Raymond Fire Department, and Raymond Ambulance, responded and immediately began a search for the victim.

State Troopers assigned to the Troop A barracks also assisted.

Around 8 a.m. on Sunday, the victim, a 15-year-old male, was found dead by divers just over 30 feet from shore. The victim was not wearing a life jacket when he was found.

Investigators believed the death was accidental. The name of the victim is being withheld pending an autopsy by the New Hampshire Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Monday.

Neighbors off Governor’s Drive in Raymond were mourning the loss Sunday night.

“It’s scary,” said neighbor Robyn Hagget. “I’m saddened for the family, that’s for sure.”

Gayle Blackwood told Boston 25 she hadn’t slept since first responders began searching the water off her property.

“I’m still shaken,” she said Sunday. “They were putting a white body bag on the ground here.”

Blackwood told Boston 25 police were searching the waters for hours, but found the boy’s body by her front lawn.

She continued, “You’re hoping, ‘Maybe he did get to shore and he’s hiding somewhere because he’s scared because of all the police and everything. That’s what I was praying for.”

The incident remains under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Marine Patrol Sgt. Nicholas Haroutunian at (603) 227-2112 or Nicholas.M.Haroutunian@DOS.NH.GOV.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2025 Cox Media Group