A Maine father’s wedding night ended in unimaginable tragedy after his mother and two young children vanished on the drive to their Airbnb and were later found dead inside a submerged vehicle.
Sharon Bukulmez, 61, was driving her grandchildren, 5-year-old Kinsley Grubb and 3-year-old Sawyer Grubb, from a family wedding in Jonesboro to Machias on the night of Sept. 19 when they disappeared.
The children’s father, Peter Grubb, had just gotten married.
His mother had volunteered to take Kinsley and Sawyer to the family’s Airbnb after the celebration so they could get settled for the night.
They never arrived.
When the three could not be reached, family members contacted authorities and a frantic search began.
Bar Harbor police eventually obtained location data from Bukulmez’s cellphone. The signal led investigators to the end of Schoppee Point Road in the small coastal community of Roque Bluffs.
The phone appeared to be in the water near a public boat ramp.
At approximately 7 a.m. the following morning, members of the Maine State Police Dive Team and Maine Marine Patrol found the family’s vehicle submerged in Pond Cove. Forth News
Bukulmez and both children were found dead.
For Peter, what had been one of the happiest days of his life had suddenly become the worst.
“They were the best pair of kids a father could ask for,” he said while remembering Kinsley and Sawyer.
Peter said one thing has brought him a small measure of comfort amid the grief — knowing his children understood how much their father loved them. People.com
He also believes his mother tried desperately to save the children after the vehicle entered the water.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed exactly what happened inside the vehicle, and the precise circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.
Maine State Police have said the deaths are not considered suspicious. Centralmaine.com
The tragedy has also renewed serious concerns about the boat ramp where the vehicle was found.
Local residents have said Schoppee Point Road can be dangerously difficult to navigate after dark, with the road leading directly toward the water.
Even more troubling, this was not the first fatal incident at the location.
Two women died in 2013 after their vehicle entered the water near the same boat ramp. Warning signs were added afterward, but the latest deaths have prompted new calls for additional protections. Bangor Daily News
Within days of Bukulmez and her grandchildren being found, officials installed a temporary barrier at the ramp. Local authorities were also working toward installing a permanent gate. Centralmaine.com
Friends described Bukulmez as deeply caring, while those close to Peter said becoming a father had been one of the things he wanted most in life.
Now, instead of beginning married life surrounded by his children and mother, he is mourning all three.
Kinsley was just 5.
Sawyer was only 3.
And the grandmother driving them home from their father’s wedding was 61.
The investigation into exactly how their vehicle ended up in Pond Cove remains ongoing.
Leave a Reply