Body of Essex Junction, Vermont’s John Gaye found in Winooski River

John Gaye of Essex Junction, Chittenden County, Vermont, United States has died. He was 45.

Gaye was also a resident of Graham, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, USA. The unincorporated community was named for William Graham Duncan, the owner of the W. G. Duncan Coal Company.

Essex Junction

Graham is around 1,035 miles away from Essex Junction, which is home to the Burlington Design Center and 200 mm wafer fabrication plant of GlobalFoundries. The semiconductor contract manufacturing design company is headquartered in Malta, Saratoga County, New York, USA.

In 2023, officials tried to ban Jason Struthers from raising ducks on his property in Essex Junction, where he is also licensed to grow cannabis. He sued.

In August 2024, Vermont Superior Court Judge Thomas Walsh sided with Struthers. In September 2024, a new premium cannabis dispensary called Sweetspot Farms officially opened in Essex Junction.

On November 1, 2024, Essex Police Department arrested William Cole, then 38, of Johnson, Lamoille County, Vermont. He was accused of trying to set the building at 217 Pearl Street in Essex Junction on fire.

John Gaye

On December 18, 2024, Gaye was reported missing. His car was found behind Parro’s Gun Shop at 601 U.S. Route 2 in Waterbury. 

Evidence discovered in the area of the car indicated Gaye may have entered the Winooski River in Waterbury, Vermont. The Vermont State Police assisted the Essex Police Department with searching the river.

On December 19, 2024, search efforts ended at dark. Investigators failed to find Gaye.

On April 9, 2025, a passerby walking in the area of the Bolton Falls Power Dam in Duxbury, Vermont along the Winooski River found Gaye’s body in the river. At around 6:35 p.m., the Vermont State Police received information about the body.

With the help of the Waterbury Fire Department, the Vermont State Police brought the body to the office of the chief medical examiner of Burlington. On April 11, 2025, an autopsy at the office identified the body as Gaye.

Gaye’s death is not considered suspicious. His cause and manner of death have yet to be determined.