Sharon Bukulmez: Maine Woman and Her Two Grandchildren Killed While Returning from Their Father’s Wedding
A Maine grandmother and her two young grandchildren were killed this week when their car left the roadway as they were returning from their father’s wedding, police said. The bodies of Sharon Bukulmez, Kinley Grubb, 5, and Sawyer Grubb, 3, were recovered on Sunday from a vehicle submerged in a pond in Roque Bluffs, according to Maine State Police.
The three were last seen at around 8:30 p.m. the previous night. Bukulmez had been taking the children to an Airbnb after their father’s wedding, the grieving father told local news outlet WMTW. He said that his 61-year-old mother died while desperately attempting to rescue the children from the submerged vehicle.
Tragedy Strikes Happy Life
“They were the best pair of kids a father could ask for,” Peter Grubb told the outlet, adding that knowing his children understood how deeply they were loved has given him “a slight sense of peace.”
Police said the grandmother and the two children were reported missing the previous night after they failed to reach their Airbnb in Machias.
“During the search, the Bar Harbor Police Department obtained location data from Bukulmez’s cellphone, which pointed to an area of water near the boat ramp at the end of Schoppee Point Road in Roque Bluffs,” police spokesperson Shannon Moss said in a news release.
Authorities traced the submerged vehicle in Pond Cove around 7 a.m. Sunday.
Friends and relatives remembered Bukulmez as a devoted, compassionate woman who cared deeply for those around her.
The devastating loss has been particularly painful for Grubb, who was described by loved ones as a deeply devoted father.
Devasted Son and Father
“I think having a family of his own and becoming a father was what he wanted most in life,” Alec Jeannotte told News Center Maine.
“Pete was a great father, as he was a great friend.”
Authorities have not yet determined how the vehicle ended up in the pond. An investigation is ongoing and police are yet to share further details about the tragic accident.
A similar tragedy occurred in 2013, when two hikers died after their vehicle went into the water near the same boat launch.
“Even though the ramp is marked, I am willing to work with the town or State DOT if needed, to make the signage more visible to better alert those driving in the area that the ramp leads to the water,” state Rep. Tiffany Strout said on Facebook this week.
