WATERVILLE -- Rachel Nelson, whose body was found Tuesday in the Kennebec River, was an 82-year-old who lived independently with little supervision.

She was not a nursing home resident, nor did she suffer from dementia.

Instead, she was a woman quite capable of living on her own, said Matthew Walters, chief operating officer of the elderly housing complex that Nelson called home for the last 17 days of her life.

That complex is known collectively as the Woodlands, but actually consists of three separate units: Evergreen, a 32-bed facility for Alzheimer's disease patients; Woodlands, a 58-bed residence designed for seniors who need daily living assistance; and Park Residences, a 39-room facility that caters to seniors who want to live independently with services available.

Nelson lived in Park Residences.

"If you had met her or seen her on the grounds," Walters said, "you would certainly have thought she belonged here."

But Walters said some media reports depicted Nelson as a confused person who wandered off the premises.

That was not the case, he said.

Nor, he said, did the staff do anything wrong in not knowing her whereabouts Tuesday morning.

Walters said those who live at Park Residences are free to set their own schedule.

Cathy Cobb, director of the Department of Health and Human Services division of licensing and regulatory services, said the state does not regulate independent living facilities and such places have no obligation to supervise their residents.

Walters said this is the case at Park Residences.

The only reason staff members became concerned, he said, is that Nelson had requested a specific service that morning.

But Nelson was not in her room when the service provider -- an employee of Woodlands -- arrived, he said.

Walters said this triggered an immediate search of both the building and grounds.

"As soon as we determined she was neither inside or outside the building," Walters said, "we immediately notified the family and after that we notified police."

Waterville police did not release any new information on the Nelson case Wednesday. The cause of death has yet to be disclosed.

Walters said everybody at the Woodlands complex is upset by Nelson's death.

But he said the staff at Park Residences handled the situation properly.

"We have established policies that we follow if somebody is missing," he said. "In this case, the staff followed those policies to a T."

Colin Hickey -- 861-9205

chickey@centralmaine.com