Missing Man Found Deceased In Remote Area Of The Island

A man who was reported missing by Nantucket Police on Monday was found deceased by a search team last Thursday afternoon in a remote area of the island. The death does not appear to be suspicious, police said.

Over two days, island authorities searched conservation land around the Head of the Plains near Madaket for Andrew Vonderwies, 56, who was last seen disembarking the Steamship Authority's high-speed ferry last Friday morning at Steamboat Wharf. On Thursday, a Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter joined the search and was spotted circling the conservation land south of the landfill.

"Yesterday afternoon, the body of Andrew Vonderwies was located in a remote area off Barrett Farm Road," Nantucket Police Department Lt. Angus MacVicar told the Current Friday morning. "His death does not appear suspicious. The case was accepted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Nothing further."

The Nantucket Police Department notified the island community that Vonderwies might be on Nantucket on Monday after it was contacted by the Barnstable Police Department about the missing person case it was investigating.

Vonderwies previously lived on Nantucket for decades, working as a carpenter and in the issland restaurant industry, according to several people who knew him. In recent years, he was living on the Cape and commuting to Nantucket for work.

"He'll be sorely missed," said Nantucket resident Andy Lowell, who worked with Vonderwies on the island. "I'll be holding back the tears. I still hold a place in my heart for Andrew, and I'm sure there are many people here who do.

"He was very mechanical," Lowell continued. "He loved working on cars. He was also
a talented carpenter. His hands worked in a crafty way with whatever he did. And
it's very sad that he, you know, decided to leave without saying goodbye."