Arson case ends tragically

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    ISLAND FALLS — A Houlton man, whom police say was responsible for burglarizing several seasonal residences on the McGlinn Road in Ludlow Friday evening, including burning one of those residences to the ground, was found dead Saturday.
    According to Aroostook County Sheriff James Madore, deputies were called to a suspicious structure fire at 6 p.m. Friday in Ludlow. An unoccupied seasonal residence owned by Nathan Corey was fully engulfed in flames and a Ford truck was abandoned at the mouth of the unplowed driveway. The owner of the truck was identified as Mark Williams, 39, of Houlton. The truck had become stuck in the snow and abandoned after unsuccessful attempts to get it out.
    “When we arrived, the camp was totally involved,” Houlton Fire Chief Milton Cone said. “The roof had fallen in. Plus the camp was 1,000 feet or so off the road and was not plowed, making access very difficult.”
    When Sheriff’s deputies arrived on scene, the caretaker of another nearby, seasonal residence reported that another home had been broken into and damage done. In addition, deputies learned that a black, 1989 Dodge truck had been stolen from a third home farther north on the McGlinn Road.
    Deputies requested the assistance of the Fire Marshal’s Office in investigating the suspicious fire. Deputies, Fire Marshal investigators and a detective from the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit began collecting physical evidence from the burglary scene and towed Williams’ truck to a secure location so a search warrant could be obtained to search it for evidence.
    The burglarized home was ransacked and it was not immediately known if anything was stolen.
    Evidence found at the three scenes shows that one person, acting alone, committed the crimes and that the same individual was responsible for all three crimes, police said. Based upon a number of factors, Williams became a suspect. Deputies searched area residences to confirm the individual responsible had, in fact, left the area in the stolen truck. Shortly before midnight, all of the officers left the McGlinn Road to continue their investigation.
    Saturday morning, Williams and the stolen truck still had yet to be located. Deputies interviewed Williams’ known associates and learned that he had access to a camp on Mattawamkeag Lake in Island Falls.
    “Sheriff’s Deputies and state troopers went to the camp, having to traverse a significant distance on foot,” Madore said. “The officers found the stolen Dodge truck parked in the driveway of the camp. A single set of footprints led to the camp, in which the officers found the body of Mark Williams.”
    The Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a suicide.
     “This is an unfortunate ending to a disturbing and unusual chain of events,” Madore said. “We offer our condolences to the Williams family and our support to the victims of these crimes.”
    The Sheriff’s Department thanked the State Police, Fire Marshal’s Office, Houlton Police and U.S. Border Patrol, as well as members of the community who provided information on the case.