The sadness was palpable in Maine. The lives of citizens continued to be in suspense due to the lack of results in the police hunt for the fugitive gunman.
Schools and businesses closed. Empty streets for the second day in cities like Lewiston, Auburn or Lisbon. "We work day and night. Nothing has changed and we ask for patience", pleaded David St. Pierre, Lewiston Police Chief.
The last time anyone saw Robert Card, a 40-year-old reservist, he was carrying a spare assault rifle, an AR-15. This happened Wednesday night precisely in Lewiston.
It left 18 dead, happy citizens enjoying a drink in a bar or a game of bowling with friends.
No one doubts that this man, with military training and a lover of outdoor activities, knows well the labyrinth of the forest in that area, which, moreover, is sparsely populated.
But it is shocking that it has evaporated. doesn't he eat don't you sleep Apparently, no one has reported that someone entered their farm or home to take something or take shelter, or that their vehicle was stolen.
He has not been seen and there is not even any evidence of his stay or passage through any area.
Since that tragic day, and despite an unprecedented deployment of police (local, state and FBI), no one has heard anything about it. It is not the first time that nature hides a fugitive, but at one point or another its shadow emerges.
So, it is understandable that many wondered if he had been swallowed by the river after the press conference offered on Friday morning by those responsible for the investigation.
Michael Sauschuck, the commissioner of public safety for the state of Maine, with the support of photographs, announced that the investigation extended to the Androscoggin River.
Specifically, in the area of the jetty where they found the suspect's Subaru. There was a firearm in this vehicle, although it has not yet been confirmed if it is the rifle he used in the two scenes of the killing, some media pointed out that the model corresponded to the one he used in the shooting.
"We will put divers in the water", stressed the commissioner. The deployment also has aerial technology to detect if there is anything at the bottom of the course, and personnel on foot to check the slopes.
Even the electricity company that operates the two dams on this river is collaborating in this investigation. They have lowered the water that circulates through the channel to facilitate the work of the divers.
The description of this operation raised a logical question. A reporter asked if investigators had any indication that Card might have taken his own life.
"It is more than obvious that we have not been able to locate him so far, we have not arrested him", answered Sauschuck.
"All options are on the table. We don't want to wait because the river is here", he insisted. "The car was at that point, which is a localized test in the Androscoggin, so we want to have guarantees that we review everything," he said. The commissioner also acknowledged that he had found a note from Card in one of the searches of properties linked to him. But he did not want to reveal its contents.
As CNN advanced after a while, it revealed that the fugitive had indicated in that note that they did not expect to find him alive. Once this was known, the operation in the river was better understood, an operation described by experts as complicated and tremendous.
The note, based on this information, instructed others about things they could find and dispose of, and suggested that when they read it, Card would no longer be alive. It is also not ruled out that it is a trap to gain time in his escape.
Investigators look to process all the leads, more than 500 received. This made them shout "Robert, come out with your hands up" on a megaphone in front of their house on Thursday or that they entered a hayloft yesterday.
