MEXICO — Police Chief Roy Hodsdon said Wednesday that he is awaiting results of an autopsy on a 23-year-old Mexico man he found dead behind a vacant sawmill on Route 120 on Tuesday.

The Medical Examiner’s Office performed an autopsy Wednesday morning, the chief said. “They’re waiting on the toxicology results before ruling on the cause of death. I don’t feel comfortable giving out his name at this time until we hear from the (medical examiner).”

Hodsdon said there were “no signs of foul play or anything, but it’s under investigation until we hear from the (medical examiner). But (the man) was definitely not dressed for the elements. It was at least 10 below that night, and with the wind chill, probably down to 20 or 25 below.”

The man was last seen wearing light clothing, according to the chief.

The man’s mother advised police around noon Tuesday that her son was missing.

“She said her son had been at a residence on Route 120 on Monday,” Hodsdon said. “He had left the residence on foot between 8 and 11 p.m. to go to a residence in Rumford. He never made that destination.”

He said the man was supposed to be walking with a friend, but the friend went back into the house to get something and when he returned, the man was gone.

“It was thought he may have gotten picked up by a car, because they saw footprints and car tracks that eventually disappeared,” Hodsdon said.

Police searched the area thoroughly Tuesday, concentrating on the river and the wooded area between Black Bridge and the high school.

“We found no signs of anything that would lead us to believe that he had gone into the river or into the woods,” the chief said.

Hodsdon expanded the search, checking the area of a recent fire at 107 Swift River Road, which is Route 120.

“I checked that and some of the vehicles in the yard to see if he might have crawled in there,” Hodsdon said. “Nothing, and we expanded and checked up by the Hale Mill and that’s where we located him. He was deceased and had been there since the night before.”

Hodsdon discovered the body at around 3:30 p.m.

“It was a bad day,” he said. “It was not what I wanted.”

bfarrin@sunmediagroup.net