Authorities have found the body of a former Connecticut man who is believed to have fallen through the ice along with his wife while the couple were walking their dog on Valentine’s Day in Cape Cod.
The body of 72-year-old Gerard “Jerry” Boucher was found on Friday following a multi-agency search that lasted about 2 ½ hours, according to the Eastham Police Department.
Police said the ice conditions subsiding and the low tide conditions made for a much easier search, which involved multiple drones.
Around 9:30 a.m., Boucher’s body was found about ½ mile to the northeast of the Bee’s River parking lot, police said.
“The Eastham Police and Fire Departments continue to express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the victims,” police wrote in a statement. “We would also like to thank our regional partners for their hard work and commitment to locating Mr. Boucher and bring closure to this tragic incident.”
Police believe Boucher and his wife, 71-year-old Kathleen “Kit” Boucher, were out for a walk when they fell through the ice of Bee’s River. Officers responded to the area when a wet dog that appeared distressed was spotted near First Encounter Beach, according to police.
The first officer to arrive heard screams for help before finding Kit Boucher in the icy water. The officer went out onto the ice and tried to save her but fell through the ice, leading to both of them becoming submerged in water, according to police. A second officer arrived on scene and went out onto the ice before falling in waist-deep water.
Both officers were able to get to shore and were taken to Cape Cod Hospital. Crews searched for hours before pulling Kit Boucher from the water, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
During search attempts over multiple days, authorities had been unable to find Jerry Boucher’s body. The searches were called off multiple times due to dangerous water conditions.
The couple had known each other since they were 15 years old and were high school sweethearts at Northwest Catholic in West Hartford. Kit Boucher attended Central Connecticut State University and worked for 20 years as a kindergarten teacher at Bugbee Elementary School in West Hartford before retiring from teaching in 2008.
The high school sweethearts moved to Cape Cod full time about 18 years ago after Jerry Boucher retired from Connecticut Natural Gas. They were well-known in the community and could very often be found walking their black lab around Bee’s River.