Brunswick man charged with murder after suspicious death investigation

Tanner Dostie, 45, of Brunswick, was charged with murder after Maine State Police said statements he made during a Bath disturbance led investigators to a Brunswick home where they found a deceased adult male. Bath police were called to the reported disturbance at about 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 10, and what began as a field response quickly turned into a homicide investigation.

After the discovery in Brunswick, the body was taken to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta for an autopsy to confirm the man’s identity and determine the cause and manner of death. State police have not released the victim’s name or the Brunswick address where the body was found, and they have not said publicly what evidence led them to charge Dostie.

The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South is leading the case, with help from the Bath Police Department, Brunswick Police Department, Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Investigators have not released a motive, described a weapon or given additional details about what happened inside the residence. The involvement of the major crimes unit and the medical examiner’s office means the case is now moving through the forensic stage that often shapes both the criminal charge and any later prosecution.

Dostie was transported to Cumberland County Jail after his arrest. Under Maine criminal procedure, the case is expected to move next into the court process that follows a murder charge, including an initial appearance and later grand jury or other formal charging steps. State police said the investigation remained active and ongoing.

The case has drawn sharp attention in a region that does not often see violent crime at this level. Maine’s 2024 violent-crime rate was about 100 offenses per 100,000 residents, and murder made up only a small share of those cases, making any homicide in Bath, Brunswick or the surrounding Sagadahoc County area a major public-safety concern.