Search for Mount Desert Woman and Grandchildren Ends in Tragedy at Pond Cove

Sharon Bukulmez, 61, of Mount Desert, Maine, and her grandchildren, Kinsley Grubb, 5, and Sawyer Grubb, 3, died Sunday after authorities found their vehicle submerged in Pond Cove in Roque Bluffs. The three had been reported missing after leaving a family gathering in Jonesboro Saturday evening. What began as a search involving multiple law enforcement and marine agencies ended with the recovery of the vehicle and the three victims, leaving relatives and others who knew them facing a devastating loss.

According to Maine State Police, Bukulmez and the children were last seen leaving the gathering at about 8:30 p.m. Saturday. They were expected to continue to Machias but never arrived. Concerned family members contacted authorities, prompting a search for the woman and her two grandchildren. The supplied account does not indicate why they failed to reach their destination or provide details about any communication after they left Jonesboro. Those questions remain part of the investigation as officials work to reconstruct their final hours.

Bar Harbor police obtained cellphone location information from Bukulmez’s phone, which directed investigators toward the water near the boat ramp at the end of Schoppee Point Road in Roque Bluffs. That information helped focus the search on the area around Pond Cove. Maine State Police troopers, the Maine State Police Dive Team and Maine Marine Patrol also responded. Their coordinated effort continued until authorities located the submerged vehicle at approximately 7 a.m. Sunday.

Responders recovered the vehicle from Pond Cove along with the bodies of Bukulmez, Kinsley and Sawyer. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard assisted with the recovery operation. The account does not describe the condition or position of the vehicle when it was located, nor does it explain how it entered the water. Those details remain important questions for investigators, particularly because the circumstances leading to the vehicle becoming submerged have not been publicly established.

The three victims were transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta. Autopsies are planned to determine the cause and manner of death, meaning authorities have not yet established those details. The examination process is expected to provide additional information as the investigation continues. Until those findings are available, the circumstances surrounding the deaths should remain described according to the facts already released rather than assumptions about what happened before the vehicle entered Pond Cove.

The search brought together agencies from across the area, including Maine State Police, Bar Harbor police, the Maine State Police Dive Team, Maine Marine Patrol, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Coast Guard. Their involvement reflects the urgent effort to locate Bukulmez and the children after their expected arrival in Machias did not occur. The supplied information does not identify additional family members or provide details about the children’s daily lives, schooling or other personal activities.

For the families of Sharon Bukulmez, Kinsley Grubb and Sawyer Grubb, the recovery ended a period of uncertainty but began another marked by grief and unanswered questions. Bukulmez, 61, was from Mount Desert, while Kinsley and Sawyer, ages 5 and 3, were from Bar Harbor. Maine State Police continue investigating the circumstances surrounding their deaths. The planned autopsies and ongoing investigation may establish facts that are not yet known, while loved ones remember three lives suddenly cut short together in Maine this week.