UPDATE: One person arrested as Cushing murder investigation continues

UPDATE: A criminal complaint filed by the state on July 15 in Knox County District Court against a man accused of hindering apprehension and abuse of a corpse identifies the man killed in Cushing as Kyle MacDougall.

The victim’s age and place of residence were not listed in court documents.

Mark Gagne, 41, of Cushing made his first court appearance via Zoom Monday afternoon, where Judge Jeffrey Hjelm set his bail at $100,000 cash.

The first count of the criminal complaint, hindering apprehension, states that “on or about July 12, in Cushing Gagne, there was an intent to hinder, prevent, or delay the detection, apprehension, prosecution, conviction, or punishment of the person who caused the death of Kyle MacDougall by the commission of a felony.”

The second count of the criminal complaint, desecration of a corpse, states that “Gagne intentionally exhumed, disinterred, removed, concealed, mutilated or destroyed a human corpse or portions of its ashes.”

The affidavit in this case has been sealed at the request of the Maine Attorney General’s Office.

Gagne is scheduled to appear in court again on September 5.

KNOX COUNTY – As of Monday morning, July 15, 2024, the affidavit in the case against Mark Gagne, 41, of Cushing, is sealed and unavailable to reporters.

Gagne was arrested on Friday, July 12, 2024, as part of an ongoing Cushing death investigation being conducted by the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit Central. Detectives and evidence technicians were located at 834 River Road on Friday, July 12, 2024, and Saturday, July 13, 2024, to conduct interviews and canvass the crime scene.

The deceased was taken to the Augusta Medical Examiner’s Office where an autopsy will be performed to determine the manner and cause of death and to positively identify the victim.

Gagne was charged with hindering apprehension and desecration of a corpse and booked into the Knox County Jail. His first court date is expected on Monday, July 15, 2024.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office is assisting with the incident. The investigation is ongoing. More information will be released when appropriate, spokeswoman Shannon Moss said in a news release.