Person killed in Maine; man facing murder charge

A man has been arrested for murder after a person was found dead outside a home in Gardiner, Maine, on Friday.

Gardiner police were called to 16 Bartlett Street around 3:41 p.m. for a welfare check that was called in by a family member. Responding officers found the body of a deceased male outside of the home, according to a news release from the Maine Department of Public Safety.

A death investigation got underway as the Maine State Police major crimes unit central and the evidence recovery team responded and worked until the early morning hours of Saturday.

An autopsy was conducted Saturday and the victim’s cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma. His manner of death was ruled a homicide, officials said. His identity is being withheld until further testing can be conducted for positive identification.

Detectives arrested 52-year-old Gregory Fisher, of South Gardiner, and he was taken to the Kennebec County Jail, officials said. He’s expected to make his first court appearance early next week on the murder charge. It was not immediately clear if he had obtained an attorney.

Police haven’t said what led them to Fisher, or provided a possible motive in this case.

An investigation is ongoing, and further information will be released when it becomes available.