ROCKPORT — One week after hikers discovered a body while walking alongside a portion of a stream bed that extends alongside the town-owned RES property down to Rockport Harbor, Maine’s Medical Examiner said it was that of Jared Paradee, who disappeared in February 2022.

Camden-Rockport Police Chief Randy Gagne confirmed the identification May 5.

Jared Paradee, 44, was last seen Feb. 18, 2022, according to friends, who had created a Facebook page to help locate him.

He had been living at the Rockport Suites Motel on Route 1 near the RES parcel in Rockport. The stream runs between the two properties. 

Paradee was a well known community member in Rockland and many knew him from his former jobs at Rock City Coffee Roasters and In Good Company, his friends had said.

Positive identification was determined using DNA testing, said Gagne. The cause and manner of death have not been determined.

Paradee’s remains were located in close proximity to the motel, said Gagne.

In May 2022, search and rescue crews, along with the Maine Warden Service, combed the woods of Rockport searching for any clues to his disappearance.

Working in a grid pattern and outfitted in heavy-duty clothing, bright orange hats and vest, the crews, totaling 60 people, moved across the landscape Saturday and Sunday morning, the first weekend of May last year. They included 45 ground searchers, 8 K9 teams, 4 incident command members and 5 support staff covering over 1,600 acres of wooded area, primarily north and south of the Beech Hill Road between Routes 90 and 1.  Additional small blocks covered included wooded areas between Route 1 and the ocean, Main Street to Route 90/route 1 and along the Goose River and the nearby golf course. 

Searchers also used a drone in searching for him, but despite all the efforts, there was no sign of Jared Paradee.

“Based on information gathered during the investigation we do not believe foul play was involved,” said Gagne. “Our condolences to Jared’s family and friends.”