Post by hi224 on Apr 14, 2019 16:24:04 GMT
Saturday, May 26th 2018 was a beautiful, warm day in Southeastern Connecticut. It was the beginning of Memorial Day weekend and many people were out enjoying the unofficial start of the summer season. Boats dotted the waters of the Long Island Sound while the local tourist towns enjoyed an influx of visitors.
Sofia McKenna, 21, grew up in nearby North Stonington, CT and had recently gotten her massage therapy license.
Spencer Mugford, 20, grew up in Florida and had attended school at the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point campus, located in Groton, CT. He had recently begun working at a local fishing charter where he took small groups of people out on the water for half-day fishing trips. Spencer grew up on the water and was a strong swimmer.
***Edited to add a link to a news article with a photo of them both in case the Imgur links aren’t working.
Sofia and Spencer met while working at the Red Door Salon & Spa, an upscale day spa located in the Mystic Marriot Hotel in Groton, CT. They dated at one point but Sofia had since gotten back together with her ex- boyfriend. Despite this, they remained friends.
In the middle of the night on Saturday May 26th/Sunday May 27th, Sofia and Spencer parked her car at the UConn Avery Point campus. They then used one of the university’s sailboats, a white 14’ sunfish without a mast, and paddled out onto the water. Their destination was the New London Ledge Lighthouse, perched atop a concrete pier 3/4ths of a mile off the coast. It’s rumored to be haunted by a lighthouse keeper who killed himself by jumping off the roof and is frequently mentioned on lists of the “most haunted” places in Connecticut. Despite the beautiful weather earlier that day, the water temperature lingered around 60 degrees and the evening air temperatures dipped down into the 50’s.
While out on the water, Sofia used Spencer’s phone to post a video to his Snapchat account. In released screenshots of the video he can be seen sitting on the bow of a small boat, paddling. Sofia pans the camera around to show the lights on the coastline behind them. A few minutes later, at 2am, a photo of Sofia at the lighthouse was posted to Spencer’s Snapchat. In it, she poses next to the “No trespassing” sign, her tongue stuck out in defiance and her eyes gleaming with excitement. It’s a haunting photo.
*** Alternative link to article with the photo
By Sunday afternoon Spencer had failed to show up for an event. When his friends and family couldn’t reach him they contacted the local police. Meanwhile, Sofia’s boyfriend had been trying to reach her all morning and was becoming alarmed. He reached out to Sofia’s mom, Michelle, to let her know that he was concerned.
Michelle had let her younger daughter play with her phone earlier that morning and up until that point did not see that she had 7 early morning missed calls from an unknown number. The calls were back to back— at 2:05 a.m., 2:06 a.m., 2:07 a.m., 2:08 a.m. (3 times), and 2:09 a.m.. She tried to call the number back. It was Spencer’s phone and it went directly to voice mail. Because Spencer didn’t know Michelle’s number it’s believed that Sofia made these calls. Michelle contacted the local police to file a missing persons report.
Around 6:30pm word got out about the Snapchat video and the Coast Guard was dispatched. Sofia’s car was found parked on campus with her cell phone still inside. 911 did not have any record of incoming calls from Spencer’s phone. A Coast Guard boat crew found Spencer’s navy blue tank top tied to a cleat at the lighthouse. It’s believed that he used his shirt to dock the boat at the lighthouse and that’s why it was tied around the cleat.
Crews searched fruitlessly throughout the night and the following day for Sofia and Spencer.
On Monday evening, almost 48 hours after they departed, the hull of a 14' sailboat was found washed ashore on a Long Island beach. This is believed to be the same craft that was missing from the Uconn Avery Point campus. there were no footprints leading up the beach from where the boat was found. The Coast Guard suspended its search Monday night, stating that the search was over “unless something is found that steers searchers in a different direction.”
Almost two weeks later, on Friday, June 8, a boater discovered Spencer’s body floating in the water roughly 2.5 miles southeast of Avery Point. He had drowned.
Sofia’s body has never been found. While this may seem like a clear cut case of two people drowning at sea, several factors make this outcome seem less definite.
As stated above, it’s believed that Spencer attempted to secure the boat to the lighthouse using his shirt. It seems likely that the boat slipped away between the time that the 2:00am Snapchat photo was posted and the 2:05am phone calls began. It would make sense to assume that because he was a strong swimmer, Spencer dove in after the boat. Already exhausted from the trip out there, it’s easy to imagine how quickly he would have been overcome by the task of retrieving the boat. However Sofia was not a strong swimmer, and her loved ones do not believe that she would have jumped into the cold, dark water after him.
Assuming this to be true, then Sofia would have made those frantic calls to her mother from the lighthouse. If this was the case, what could have drawn her away from the safety of the lighthouse and out into the dark water?
Sofia’s family has suggested that perhaps the prior use of the phone and the repeated phone calls drained the battery. At that point Sofia would have been alone, out of contact and screaming into the night. There were other people out on the water that night, is it possible that someone found her?
In addition to this tragedy, two other local men drowned in unrelated incidents later that week. Both of their bodies were discovered quickly, leaving Sofia as the only one not recovered.
However unlikely it may be, her family and friends continue to hold out hope that Sofia is alive, perhaps being held somewhere against her will. At the very least they would like for anyone who may have spoken to Sofia or Spencer that night to come forward to help paint a clearer picture of the events that unfolded prior to their fateful departure. Sofia’s cell phone continues to be held in the possession of law enforcement. Spencer’s phone has never been found and his call records have not been released.
Loved ones have created a Facebook page dedicated to finding the answers to these questions.
Michelle has stated that she knows that the likelihood of Sofia being alive is slim but that without any proof she can’t help but wonder, what if?
Sofia McKenna Missing Poster
Link to local news article
Search for Sofia Continues
Spencer’s obituary
Sofia’s obituary
Sofia’s Namus Profile
*Edited to fix some issues with the Imgur links and to clarify a few details
Sofia McKenna, 21, grew up in nearby North Stonington, CT and had recently gotten her massage therapy license.
Spencer Mugford, 20, grew up in Florida and had attended school at the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point campus, located in Groton, CT. He had recently begun working at a local fishing charter where he took small groups of people out on the water for half-day fishing trips. Spencer grew up on the water and was a strong swimmer.
***Edited to add a link to a news article with a photo of them both in case the Imgur links aren’t working.
Sofia and Spencer met while working at the Red Door Salon & Spa, an upscale day spa located in the Mystic Marriot Hotel in Groton, CT. They dated at one point but Sofia had since gotten back together with her ex- boyfriend. Despite this, they remained friends.
In the middle of the night on Saturday May 26th/Sunday May 27th, Sofia and Spencer parked her car at the UConn Avery Point campus. They then used one of the university’s sailboats, a white 14’ sunfish without a mast, and paddled out onto the water. Their destination was the New London Ledge Lighthouse, perched atop a concrete pier 3/4ths of a mile off the coast. It’s rumored to be haunted by a lighthouse keeper who killed himself by jumping off the roof and is frequently mentioned on lists of the “most haunted” places in Connecticut. Despite the beautiful weather earlier that day, the water temperature lingered around 60 degrees and the evening air temperatures dipped down into the 50’s.
While out on the water, Sofia used Spencer’s phone to post a video to his Snapchat account. In released screenshots of the video he can be seen sitting on the bow of a small boat, paddling. Sofia pans the camera around to show the lights on the coastline behind them. A few minutes later, at 2am, a photo of Sofia at the lighthouse was posted to Spencer’s Snapchat. In it, she poses next to the “No trespassing” sign, her tongue stuck out in defiance and her eyes gleaming with excitement. It’s a haunting photo.
*** Alternative link to article with the photo
By Sunday afternoon Spencer had failed to show up for an event. When his friends and family couldn’t reach him they contacted the local police. Meanwhile, Sofia’s boyfriend had been trying to reach her all morning and was becoming alarmed. He reached out to Sofia’s mom, Michelle, to let her know that he was concerned.
Michelle had let her younger daughter play with her phone earlier that morning and up until that point did not see that she had 7 early morning missed calls from an unknown number. The calls were back to back— at 2:05 a.m., 2:06 a.m., 2:07 a.m., 2:08 a.m. (3 times), and 2:09 a.m.. She tried to call the number back. It was Spencer’s phone and it went directly to voice mail. Because Spencer didn’t know Michelle’s number it’s believed that Sofia made these calls. Michelle contacted the local police to file a missing persons report.
Around 6:30pm word got out about the Snapchat video and the Coast Guard was dispatched. Sofia’s car was found parked on campus with her cell phone still inside. 911 did not have any record of incoming calls from Spencer’s phone. A Coast Guard boat crew found Spencer’s navy blue tank top tied to a cleat at the lighthouse. It’s believed that he used his shirt to dock the boat at the lighthouse and that’s why it was tied around the cleat.
Crews searched fruitlessly throughout the night and the following day for Sofia and Spencer.
On Monday evening, almost 48 hours after they departed, the hull of a 14' sailboat was found washed ashore on a Long Island beach. This is believed to be the same craft that was missing from the Uconn Avery Point campus. there were no footprints leading up the beach from where the boat was found. The Coast Guard suspended its search Monday night, stating that the search was over “unless something is found that steers searchers in a different direction.”
Almost two weeks later, on Friday, June 8, a boater discovered Spencer’s body floating in the water roughly 2.5 miles southeast of Avery Point. He had drowned.
Sofia’s body has never been found. While this may seem like a clear cut case of two people drowning at sea, several factors make this outcome seem less definite.
As stated above, it’s believed that Spencer attempted to secure the boat to the lighthouse using his shirt. It seems likely that the boat slipped away between the time that the 2:00am Snapchat photo was posted and the 2:05am phone calls began. It would make sense to assume that because he was a strong swimmer, Spencer dove in after the boat. Already exhausted from the trip out there, it’s easy to imagine how quickly he would have been overcome by the task of retrieving the boat. However Sofia was not a strong swimmer, and her loved ones do not believe that she would have jumped into the cold, dark water after him.
Assuming this to be true, then Sofia would have made those frantic calls to her mother from the lighthouse. If this was the case, what could have drawn her away from the safety of the lighthouse and out into the dark water?
Sofia’s family has suggested that perhaps the prior use of the phone and the repeated phone calls drained the battery. At that point Sofia would have been alone, out of contact and screaming into the night. There were other people out on the water that night, is it possible that someone found her?
In addition to this tragedy, two other local men drowned in unrelated incidents later that week. Both of their bodies were discovered quickly, leaving Sofia as the only one not recovered.
However unlikely it may be, her family and friends continue to hold out hope that Sofia is alive, perhaps being held somewhere against her will. At the very least they would like for anyone who may have spoken to Sofia or Spencer that night to come forward to help paint a clearer picture of the events that unfolded prior to their fateful departure. Sofia’s cell phone continues to be held in the possession of law enforcement. Spencer’s phone has never been found and his call records have not been released.
Loved ones have created a Facebook page dedicated to finding the answers to these questions.
Michelle has stated that she knows that the likelihood of Sofia being alive is slim but that without any proof she can’t help but wonder, what if?
Sofia McKenna Missing Poster
Link to local news article
Search for Sofia Continues
Spencer’s obituary
Sofia’s obituary
Sofia’s Namus Profile
*Edited to fix some issues with the Imgur links and to clarify a few details