On Friday morning, January 26, 2024, in Carmel, Maine, the town manager, Kevin Howell, 51, died while saving his four-year-old son, after both fell through the ice at Etna Pond.
At approximately 6:30 a.m., Howell and his young son, Sawyer, were crossing a section of the pond when the ice gave way beneath them.
Demonstrating a remarkable presence of mind and parental instinct, Howell managed to lift his son out of the freezing water, urging him to run approximately one-third of a mile back to their home to alert his mother.
Upon receiving the news, Howell’s wife immediately called 911 for assistance and hurried to the pond with an anchor and rope to help her husband. Tragically, she also fell through the ice.
Penobscot County Sheriff Detective Jordan Norton, responding to the 911 call, was able to rescue Howell’s wife by crawling across the ice and utilizing the rope she had secured earlier. However, by this time, Kevin Howell had disappeared beneath the water.
Divers from the Maine Warden Service and State Police conducted an intensive search and recovered Howell’s body from the pond at 2:00pm, approximately 20 minutes after they began the search and nearly eight hours after the initial fall through the ice.
Etna Pond, covering about 361 acres with a depth of 12 feet, is a known locale for ice fishing and skating. The pond extends into Etna and Stetson towns, aside from Carmel.
At the time of his passing, Kevin Howell was serving as the town manager of Carmel, a position he had held since 2015. His contributions to the community were significant, having been recognized with the Town Leadership Award in 2020.
The depth of his impact was reflected in the gesture of several town employees who altered their Facebook profile pictures to an image of the town’s emblem with a black ribbon in mourning.
The Carmel Board of Selectmen issued a statement expressing their deep grief over the tragic passing of Howell. The statement extended heartfelt condolences to Howell’s family during this difficult time.
The Board highlighted Howell’s significant contributions to the Carmel community, emphasizing that his absence will leave a profound impact. They praised Howell for his outstanding leadership and dedication to enhancing the town’s quality of life, noting his relentless commitment and efforts to better the community.
In addition to his role in town government, Howell was an active member of Maine’s Blue Ribbon Commission and was instrumental in developing a regional EMS system. In a statement, Maine EMS expressed their appreciation for his support and extended their deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
The Carmel Board of Selectmen is now tasked with finding a replacement for Howell as town manager. His dedication to his family and job has been widely recognized and remembered within the community.