What happened after Sharon Bukulmez and her grandchildren left Jonesboro Saturday night?

 An ordinary trip home ended in a heartbreaking discovery Sunday morning when Sharon Bukulmez, 61, of Mount Desert, and her grandchildren, Kinsley Grubb, 5, and Sawyer Grubb, 3, were found dead after their vehicle was located beneath the water at Pond Cove in Roque Bluffs, Maine. For a family expecting their loved ones to arrive safely, the search instead ended with three generations represented in one devastating loss.

The three had last been seen leaving a family function in Jonesboro at approximately 8:30 p.m. Saturday, according to investigators. Sharon and the children were expected to travel to Machias, but they never reached their destination. When family members became concerned, authorities were notified, beginning a search that continued until the following morning as authorities worked. The circumstances surrounding their disappearance would soon become the focus of an effort to determine where they had gone.

Sunday morning brought the discovery that relatives and authorities had feared. Their vehicle was found submerged in Pond Cove in Roque Bluffs, and Sharon, Kinsley, and Sawyer were found deceased inside. The location transformed a missing-person search into an investigation surrounding the deaths of three family members whose journey had begun after an evening gathering. Authorities have not publicly established the circumstances that caused the vehicle to enter the water, leaving questions about the final moments unanswered.

Sharon, 61, was the grandmother at the center of the family connection, while Kinsley and Sawyer were only five and three years old. Their ages underscore how much of childhood remained ahead of them, making the loss especially painful for those who knew and loved them. The children, identified as being from Bar Harbor, were taken from a life that included family relationships, shared experiences, and the everyday moments that become treasured memories after an unexpected tragedy.

For relatives, the details of the timeline now carry a painful significance: an evening family function, a trip toward Machias, a failure to arrive, and a search that continued until the vehicle was located Sunday morning. Each point helps investigators reconstruct events, but none can explain the shock of losing Sharon and the children together. Traveling together adds another layer to a tragedy already marked by three lives and an abrupt separation that no family had expected.

Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the discovery and the events leading up to the vehicle entering Pond Cove. Authorities have not provided a full account explaining why the vehicle ended up submerged or detailing everything between Jonesboro and Roque Bluffs. Officials may release more information as the investigation develops. Investigators are working to establish what happened, reconstruct the timeline, and determine the circumstances surrounding the vehicle’s entry into the water.

Beyond the investigation, the loss has left family members facing the absence of a grandmother and two young grandchildren whose lives were closely connected. Sharon’s role in the family and Kinsley and Sawyer’s childhood years meant shared memories had been created through gatherings, visits, and time spent together. Those moments now hold different meaning for loved ones, who must carry memories of three people while confronting the painful reality that they will not return home from that journey.

The discovery at Pond Cove ended the search, but not the grief surrounding Sharon, Kinsley, and Sawyer. Their story remains tied to a Saturday departure from Jonesboro, an expected arrival in Machias that never happened, and a Sunday discovery in Roque Bluffs, Maine. As authorities continue seeking answers, their family is left remembering three lives connected by love, family, and memories that will endure for those who knew them.