East Longmeadow missing boater found dead in Westfield pond

Westfield firefighters recovered the body of a 20-year-old missing boater from a pond Sunday morning after an “exhaustive” four-day search, the Westfield Fire Department said.

The boater was an East Longmeadow man who went missing after his canoe capsized on Pequot Pond, State Police said. His body was found in Hampden Ponds, which is connected to Pequot Pond, about 50 yards from where his canoe capsized.

The boater was canoeing with two other men when the boat capsized around 6 p.m. Wednesday, WCVB reported. The two other men were able to swim to shore, but the boater never returned and they reported him missing.

Authorities have not identified the boater, saying in the release that the Chief Medical Examiner’s office will make a formal identification.

The man’s body was found by 29-year-old professional bass fisherman Mario Santaniello, who volunteered to use his sonar equipment to help with the search, the release said.

Police previously searched the area of the pond where the body was found, but because of heavy vegetation at the bottom of the pond, they were unable to see the body until Santaniello used his sonar equipment, State Police said.

Santaniello found the body while part of a “massive” search that involved 14 different police and fire departments and state agencies, the release said.

State Police and Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni are investigating the boater’s death, the release said.

“On behalf of the Westfield Fire Department and all our partner agencies, I want to express our deepest condolences to this young man’s family,” Westfield Fire Chief Patrick Egloff said in the release. “This is a very sad day, but I hope they can take some comfort in the knowledge that people from across Western Massachusetts supported the efforts to find their loved one.”

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