In the quiet hills of Woodstock, Vermont, a story unfolded last week that left the small community reeling. Nineteen-year-old Benjamin Johnsen from nearby Hartland was found dead along the banks of the Ottauquechee River, just a day after he’d vanished from a car wreck that had everyone on edge. It was the kind of news that hits hard in a place where folks know each other’s stories, turning a routine night into something unforgettable.
The nightmare kicked off late on November 28, around 11:06 p.m., when Woodstock police got a call about a single-car crash on East Woodstock Road, right by Britten Lane. Officers rolled up to find a gray sedan smashed into a tree, off the road and looking like it’d seen better days. The scene was chaotic—twisted metal, headlights flickering in the dark—but the driver was nowhere in sight. Turns out, that missing piece was Ben Johnsen, who’d bolted before anyone could pin him down.
Johnsen, described by friends as a bright kid with big dreams, had been behind the wheel that night. Why he ran? That’s still a question hanging in the air, but police say they couldn’t track him down despite a thorough search in the chilly Vermont night. The community buzzed with worry as hours ticked by, folks wondering if he’d hitched a ride or gotten lost in the woods. Little did they know, the river nearby held the grim answer.
Come Friday afternoon, November 29, emergency crews made a somber find at about 4:16 p.m. An unidentified man was spotted on the riverbank near Old River Road and Rolling Ridge Drive, in an area that’s more peaceful hike than crime scene on any other day. The spot overlooks the winding Ottauquechee, where the water rushes past rocks and trees, a place kids like Ben might’ve played growing up. Rescuers confirmed it was a body, and the weight of that realization settled over the responders like fog.
Once the dust settled, authorities positively ID’d the young man as Benjamin Johnsen. It was a punch to the gut for his family and friends, who had reported him missing right after the crash. Hartland’s tight-knit vibe meant everyone felt the loss—neighbors sharing memories of Ben’s laugh or his plans for the future, now cut short in the prime of his life.
To get to the bottom of what happened, Johnsen’s body was transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for a full autopsy. That’s standard procedure in cases like this, piecing together the cause and manner of death from the evidence. Experts there would look at everything from injuries to environmental factors, ensuring no stone’s left unturned.
For now, Woodstock police are breathing a bit easier, saying the death doesn’t look suspicious at all. No foul play, no hidden angles—just a tragic turn in what started as a bad night on the road. Still, it’s a reminder of how quickly things can go wrong, especially for a young guy navigating life’s curves. The community’s rallying around the Johnsen family, offering support in ways only small-town Vermont can, as they grieve and search for some kind of closure.
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