RANGELEY — Maine wardens found two snowmobiles Monday in Rangeley Lake, Cpl. John MacDonald said during a news conference Wednesday.

He declined to say who the machines belonged to, but three snowmobilers have been missing since December. 

The dozen or more wardens are continuing their search Wednesday for three missing snowmobilers who are presumed dead and are believed to have been on snowmobiles that drove off the ice into open water Dec. 30.

The search is concentrated about mile off shore from the boat landing where gloves and helmets were found in open water in January.

Wardens are using a remotely-operated vehicle below ice that is 2-feet thick and down between 90 to 140 feet in the water, MacDonald said.

It is pure black except for a couple of feet in front of the rover, he said.

Wardens will continue searching throughout the day, but if the bodies are not found today, the search will be postponed until spring.

In January, the area was open water but now it is covered with 2 feet of ice.

Two parties of snowmobilers went missing while they were snowmobiling Dec. 30 on Rangeley Lake.

The body of Dawn Newell of Yarmouth was discovered Dec. 31. She was snowmobiling with her 16-year-old son from Durham when her snowmobile went off the ice into the lake. Her son was able to jump off his machine before it entered the water and get help.

Three other snowmobilers that were riding together, Kenneth Henderson, 40, of China, Glenn Henderson, 43, of Sabattus, and John Spencer, 41, of Litchfield were last seen in Eustis before heading out on an outing Dec. 30.

Wardens believe that their machines also went into open water.

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