Police have identified the man and woman discovered dead in Crystal Lake in Barton early Sunday morning: Lawrence Bouchard, 66, of Glover, and Cheryl McLellan, 65, also of Glover.

On Saturday, the Vermont State Police received a report of an unoccupied pontoon boat adrift on Crystal Lake.

The boat was drifting from the south end of the lake to the north and several personal items, including a cell phone and wallet, were located on the boat.

An investigation and search efforts began and police say a man and woman were believed to have been using the boat.

A truck with a boat trailer that was associated with the boat was located at a boat launch along the lake.

Later, it was learned that Bouchard and McLellan utilized the boat launch sometime around 4:30 p.m. Saturday and set off onto the lake with their dog.

The investigation and search efforts continued until troopers located and removed the bodies from the lake during the early morning hours this morning.

The small white dog was not located.

Republished from the 7/25 Newport Dispatch