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Human remains identified as Brian Canfield in Hartland case, police say

HARTLAND, Vermont (May 6, 2026) — Vermont State Police confirmed that human remains found in Connecticut belong to Brian Canfield, missing since 2001, according to police.

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According to police reports, human remains discovered in Connecticut in 2006 have been confirmed to belong to Brian Canfield, a 37-year-old man from Weathersfield, who went missing in Vermont in 2001. Canfield and another man, Terry Brinegar, 44, of Mount Holly, were fishing at Sumner Falls in Hartland when their boat capsized on April 9, 2001. While Brinegar’s body was recovered shortly after, Canfield’s remains were not found at the time.

In October 2006, authorities in Connecticut located a human skull along the Connecticut River in Haddam. Recent DNA analysis conducted by the Connecticut Chief State Medical Examiner’s Office, in collaboration with Othram, a Texas-based forensic genetic genealogy firm, confirmed the identity of the skull as Canfield’s. A DNA sample from Canfield’s brother was used for comparison, leading to this identification.

Police say the incident is not deemed suspicious, and the Vermont State Police have closed their investigation into Canfield’s disappearance. Legal proceedings related to the case are not expected, as it is now concluded.

The Vermont human remains situation continues to develop. The Vermont human remains situation continues to develop.

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Source: Vermont State Police

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About this report AI-assisted

Source: Vermont State Police ↗

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