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Body of 20-year-old missing student canoer recovered after multiday search on Connecticut lake
By Sarah Rumpf-Whitten
Published March 24, 2026
Authorities in Connecticut recovered the body of a 20-year-old college student Monday after a multiday search following a canoeing accident on a local lake, officials said.
Dominick Joseph Tocci, of Woodstock, Connecticut, was found at approximately 3 p.m. on March 23 in Lake Hayward in East Haddam, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP).
The search began late Saturday night, around 9:50 p.m., after officials received reports that a canoe carrying Tocci had capsized. Another individual involved in the incident was rescued, but Tocci did not resurface.
Holy Cross mourns junior Dominick Tocci, 20, whose body was recovered from Lake Hayward days after his canoe capsized in East Haddam, Connecticut. (Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection)
Lake Hayward, a roughly 170-acre freshwater lake in the small town of East Haddam, is a popular spot for boating in New England.
Search efforts over the following days involved DEEP Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police, Connecticut State Police drone and dive teams, and other local and state agencies. Crews conducted water-based searches, aerial surveillance and dive operations in an effort to locate him.
Dominick Tocci went missing late Saturday after his canoe capsized on Lake Hayward; a second person involved in the incident was rescued. (Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection)
Tocci was a junior at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he was majoring in political science, the school confirmed. Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college.
"The College was devastated to learn this afternoon that the search team found the body of Dominick Tocci ‘27, a junior political science major from Woodstock, Conn, following a boating incident in Connecticut," they said. "The prayers of the entire Holy Cross community are with Dominick’s family, friends, classmates, professors and all who knew him."
Counseling support has been made available to students, faculty and staff who may need it. The school said it would not share additional details and asked that the Tocci family’s privacy be respected.
Connecticut authorities recovered the body of Holy Cross student Dominick Tocci after a multiday search following a canoe capsizing on Lake Hayward. (Facebook/Lisa Madden)
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Authorities said the incident remains under investigation by EnCon Police. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death.
DEEP officials also extended condolences to Tocci’s family and thanked the emergency personnel involved in the response.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/body-20-year-old-missing-student-canoer-recovered-after-multi-day-search-connecticut-lake