Bentley University professor missing, last seen on island off the coast of Maine: Officials

Posted By: Staff
November 20, 2025 @ 12:34 pm
ABC National

Wiley Davi, a 57-year-old Bentley University professor who was last seen on Maine’ Peaks Island, has been missing for nearly a week, according to the Maine Warden Service. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

(PEAKS ISLAND, Maine) — A Bentley University professor who was last seen on an island off the coast of Maine has been missing for nearly a week, according to the Maine Warden Service.

Wiley Davi, a 57-year-old English and media studies professor at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, was last seen on the evening of Nov. 15 on Maine’s Peak’s Island, the warden service said in a statement on Monday.

As of Thursday, the search continues for Davi, the university said in a statement to ABC News, who described them as a “longtime and respected professor and a friend to students.”

“Our hearts and minds are with Wiley and their loved ones and we are hoping and praying for Wiley’s safe return,” the university said in a statement to ABC News on Thursday.

The warden service said it is concentrating search efforts on the island’s trails and wooded areas, while the Maine Marine Patrol is searching the waters along the island.

While people are encouraged to stay off the island’s walking trails to “not interfere with searchers,” officials said residents are “encouraged to check any sheds or outbuildings on their property for Davi.”

A spokesperson for the warden service told Portland, Maine, ABC affiliate WMTW on Tuesday that the agency is looking at GPS tracking data from searchers on the ground and search dogs to see if they have missed any areas of Peaks Island in their efforts to find Davi.

Davi is described as 5 feet, 7 inches tall, approximately 155 pounds and has gray hair, officials said.

Davi, who has been a professor at Bentley University for over 15 years, holds a doctorate in medieval and Renaissance studies from Tufts University, according to their LinkedIn profile. Their teaching interests “span the fields of writing, diversity, gender studies, leadership and service-learning,” their LinkedIn said.

It remains unclear why Davi was on Peaks Island. According to a local ferry service, the island is a neighborhood within the city of Portland that is home to “artists, retirees, commuters of all sorts and a substantial summer population.”

Officials said anyone with information on Davi or their whereabouts is urged to contact the Portland Police Department at 207-874-8479.

The Maine Warden Service did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on an update on the search for Davi.