The murder-suicide deaths of three members of a prominent, well-loved Boothbay Harbor family have rocked the tight-knit community.

As details emerged over the course of the weekend, friends and neighbors reeled from the news that Svend Jorgensen, 71, had fatally shot his wife, Carol Pratt Jorgensen, 75, and their 40-year-old son, Eric, and then turned the gun on himself.

On Tuesday, the facts had been established, but the underlying reasons remained unfathomable.

On Saturday, July 4, Boothbay Harbor Police Officer Larry Brown responded to a call from a friend of the elder Jorgensens, who said she had been trying to reach them since Wednesday. Welfare checks, as they are called, are a common activity in this elderly community, and Brown headed to the couple’s Lakeside Drive home.

When Brown arrived at the West Harbor Pond residence and his knocks went unanswered, he discovered Carol and Svend Jorgensen’s bodies.

Brown immediately notified Boothbay Harbor Police Chief Bob Hasch and Sergeant Pat Higgins, who arrived on scene moments later. Hasch said local police searched the home for other occupants, secured the property and notified Maine State Police.

Officer Scott Mercier drove to Montgomery Road to inform the couple’s son, Eric, of the deaths. Mercier then found Eric’s body in the old Pratt family farmhouse’s kitchen.

Police cordoned off both properties and Maine State Police detectives began their investigations. As the news filtered across town, a worried citizenry, startled from Fourth of July celebrations, clamored for information. By 6 p.m., state police announced there were no other individuals involved and no threat to public safety. On Sunday, police released the names of the dead.

On Monday evening, Maine State Police Spokesman Stephen McCausland reported that the medical examiner and police investigators had determined that Svend Jorgensen had shot both his wife and son, before shooting himself sometime on Wednesday, July 1, or Thursday, July 2. Police said Svend Jorgensen had left a note behind, but it gave no explanation for the killings, only financial details.

On Tuesday morning, McCausland said police had not determined the sequence of events and there had been no report of gunshots. McCausland said the revolver used by Svend belonged to him and it had not been a recent purchase. He said there was no evidence of a scuffle at either home.

“We found no explanation for the violence and there has been no history of violence,” McCausland said.

Elucidation of what happened provided little relief to those who knew and loved the Jorgensens. Across the peninsula, friends and neighbors expressed disbelief and horror over this untimely and gruesome end to three members of a sociable and socially-active family. Friends said they are unable to reconcile the people they knew with their violent end.

Carol Jorgensen was the only child of Fred and Gladys Pratt, who owned Pratt’s Jewelry and Gift Store in Boothbay Harbor for 50 years. She attended Boothbay Region High School, where she was a cheerleader, and her enthusiasm for life was marked at an early age. She worked for an airline at Portland International Jetport before retiring. She was mother to two sons, Eric and Peter, who survives the family. She was an enthusiastic and faithful saxophone player for the Boothbay Community Band, an avid tennis and bridge player, a lover of travel and known for her joyousness.

“She was full of life, full of fun, always laughing,” said one friend.

Svend Jorgensen was a naval architect who worked at Bath Iron Works before retiring; he attended the Coast Guard Academy and served on the Boothbay Planning Board. The couple was active in the West Harbor Pond Watershed Association and the local yacht clubs. Those who knew Svend said he was soft-spoken, thoughtful and calm in difficult situations. 

Eric Jorgensen was a social studies teacher at the Catherine McAuley High School in Portland, and had moved into the Pratt family home on Montgomery Road recently. He graduated from Boothbay Region High School, where his senior class superlative was “most optimistic.” A long-time friend described him as a gentle, sweet guy, a good friend and a special person.

Chief Hasch said he has received many calls from residents and friends who are struggling to make sense of the deaths. Hasch encouraged residents to call police, emergency workers, clergy, and to talk to each about their grief and their memories.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the remaining family members who are struggling with unimaginable pain and sorrow; with the police who, with great professionalism and care, were the first to discover the crime scenes; with all victims of domestic violence whose worst fears were made shockingly real in these senseless deaths; and with a heartbroken community that is trying to reconcile the people they knew so well with the awful events that unfolded last week,” Boothbay Harbor Congregational Church Reverend Sarah Foulger, who knew the Jorgensens well, said on Tuesday.

A community vigil of prayers for healing will take place this Saturday, July 11, at noon on the Boothbay Common, with the rain location being the Congregational sanctuary in Boothbay Harbor.

Related:

Police determine Boothbay Harbor deaths are murder-suicide

Police identify bodies in Boothbay Harbor investigation