Maine Shooting: What we know about the investigation leading up to the discovery of Robert Card’s body

Robert Card, the suspected gunman in Wednesday’s mass shooting that left 18 people dead and injured 13 in Lewiston, Maine, was found dead Friday evening with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Maine officials detailed the dayslong manhunt that resulted in discovering Card’s body in a trailer at the Maine Recycling Corporation in Lisbon Falls.

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Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said during a Saturday morning press conference that Card’s body was discovered around 7:45 p.m. Friday in an unlocked recycling trailer, but he could not confirm whether Card was an active employee of the plant.

The commissioner said when Card was found, he “appeared to be [in] the sweatshirt that he was wearing at that time,” referring to the image released of him at the bowling alley. “He was found closer to the sliding door component of the trailer.”

The main location was initially cleared twice by law enforcement, but not the specific trailer Card was found in. Sauschuck credited the owner of the recycling facility for pointing out additional trailers across the street that still belong to the center.

Officials confirmed Saturday morning that a note was found during the search for Card, but they wouldn’t describe it as an “explicit” suicide note. Sauschuck said the note was from Card to a loved one providing the passcode to his phone along with additional personal information.

“It’s a note to a loved one, and it is saying that this is the passcode for my phone. This is the bank account numbers,” Sauschuck said.

“I wouldn’t describe it as a explicit suicide note, but the tone and tenor was that the individual was not going to be around and wanted to make sure that this loved one had access to his phone and whatever was in his phone,” Sauschuck said. “We’re working on that now to get into the phone; that’s one of those search warrants.”

Questions circulated regarding Card’s mental health, with some reporting he suffered from serious mental health issues that declined rapidly.

“I have not seen to this point that Mr. Card was forcibly committed for treatment,” Sauschuck said, but he would not rule out that the mental health aspect played a role in the shooting.

Sauschuck credited Card’s family for cooperating with law enforcement, adding their investigation would have been “detrimental” if the unnamed family did not come forward to help identify the suspect.

“I think the first three people that called us to positively identify this individual based on the photos that were released were family members,” Sauschuck said.

Law enforcement and Maine authorities conducted the dayslong manhunt on land, air, and in water.

On Thursday evening, armed agents from the FBI and other officials surrounded a home in Bowdoin, Maine, believed to be Card’s last known address. Those in the home were ordered to surrender, but after multiple hours, authorities backed off. During Friday’s press conference, Sauschuck said the large police presence was standard procedure.

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On Friday morning, Maine officials detailed the large-scale investigation into Card prior to his death. Sauschuck outlined the plan investigators would take, which included a river search in the town of Lisbon near where officials found a vehicle connected to Card.

Sauschuck said law enforcement is continuing their investigation throughout the weekend at the two shooting locations — Schemengees Bar and Grill and bowling alley Just-In-Time Recreation.