Asphyxiation listed as cause of death in homicide

By Nok-Noi Ricker
BDN Staff

GREENVILLE — A local man who died in a June altercation, reportedly in a dispute over rental property, died of asphyxiation, according to the medical examiner’s office.

George Bradford Woodbury III, 32, of Greenville died June 25 at a camp off Burnt Jacket Road, near Beaver Cove, according to Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.

“The cause of death is asphyxiation, with compression of chest and neck, [and] the manner is homicide,” Mark Belserene, spokesman for the state medical examiner, said in an email. No further details were released.

Police were called to the camp around 7 p.m., June 25, after a report of a physical altercation between two people that reportedly was over a dispute involving rental property, McCausland said in a release issued shortly after the incident.

Upon arrival, police determined Woodbury was in need of medical attention, and emergency medical personnel were summoned, he said. Woodbury was not responsive, and he never regained consciousness.

“We’re still investigating the circumstance of his death,” McCausland said last week. “We know the medical examiner’s determination, and we continue to investigate.”

No charges have been filed, and no arrest has been made, McCausland said. The identity of the person who fought with Woodbury was not released.

Woodbury’s brother said the family believes charges should be filed against the man who caused his death.

“Homicide … Now we pray the investigators go after that man who took my brother’s life,” Corey Woodbury, of Portland said in a text.

The Maine attorney general’s office will review the results of the investigation once it has been completed to determine whether charges will be filed, McCausland said.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Marchese said that investigators are still working on the case.

Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit and Evidence Response Team, Greenville Police Department and the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

Woodbury was born in Lewiston and is survived by a daughter, according to his obituary.

BDN writer Dawn Gagnon contributed to this report.