Weatherman called TJ Thunder who killed himself in the woods of a ski resort DID 'rape a woman'

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A popular Maine weatherman who committed suicide in the woods last month was about to be charged with rape. 

Tom Johnston, 46, better known by his pseudonym, 'TJ Thunder,' from WCSH-TV in Portland, failed to return home from the River Ski resort in Newry on April 2 after emceeing the Springfest event the night before.

His body was discovered four days later in a wooded area in Auburn. A medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.

Tom Johnston, 46, meteorologist with WCSH in Maine, who was found dead in the Maine woods in early April from an apparent suicide h was about to be charged with rape

Tom Johnston, 46, (pictured at the ski lodge in March) better known by his pseudonym, 'TJ Thunder,' from WCSH-TV in Portland, failed to return home from the River Ski resort in Newry on April 2 after emceeing the Springfest event the night before

President & General Manager Brian Cliffe for the NBC affiliate in Portland said that he was 'disturbed' to learn that 'Tom would have been charged in a Class B gross sexual assault that happened on April 1, if he was still alive.'

'We share in the community's shock and our thoughts are with the victim and the families involved.'

Oxford County Sheriff Wayne Gallant said a woman had gone to Bridgton Hospital to report she had been raped at a residence in Newry in the early morning hours of Sunday, April 2 - the last time Johnston was seen alive. 

The meteorologist was reported missing by his family the following day and on Thursday, April 6, police put out a missing person notice. A few hours later, wardens found him dead in the woods. 

Grisly end: The medical examiner has concluded the dad-of-three succumbed to hypothermia after slashing his wrists. Johnston had been with the station since 2014 

Speculations: Two Maine advocacy groups have issued a joint statement claiming that Johnston (far left) 'was being investigated for a reported sexual assault,' but police have not named him a suspect

The Office of the State Medical Examiner revealed that Johnston's cause of death was hypothermia from exposure to the elements after he suffered self-inflicted wounds to his wrists and lost consciousness, reported Portland Press Herald.

The autopsy report was released a day after two local advocacy groups issued a joint statements claiming that Johnston 'was being investigated for a reported sexual assault' at the time of his suicide.

Local law enforcement officials, however, have not confirmed that Johnson was a suspect in the case and said the investigation was ongoing. 

'We have to make sure in any type of case that we're getting factual information from our suspects and victims as well,' Oxford County Sheriff Wayne Gallant said in reference to the speculations surrounding Johnston.

The sheriff's office said that a woman called on the morning of April 2, the day of Johnston's suicide, from Bridgton Hospital saying she had been sexually assaulted at a home in Newry.

The suspect in the attack fled and was later reported as a missing person in Newry, according to the initial police report, which was later amended to exclude information on the potential suspect.

Johnston's final social media postings were made on the eve of his death, when a storm produced heavy snow in parts of Maine. 

The news station where the deceased worked announced his death online on April 7 and paid tribute to their popular meteorologist

Colleagues said the weatherman 'was at his best broadcasting or doing Facebook live shots in the middle of a blizzard'

The radio station WGAN was the first to raise questions about Johnston's possible involvement in the sexual assault investigation 

The only person to have been reported missing around that time in the area was Tom Johnston, according to early reporting by the radio station WGAN, which was the first to raise questions about Johnston's possible involvement in the sexual assault investigation.

Days later, two other media outlets, NH1 and FTVLive.com, picked up the story, though no one has directly accused the deceased meteorologist of being connected to the case.

The Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Maine's National Alliance on Mental Illness released a joint statement repeating the speculation that Johnston has been linked to the alleged sex assault in Newry, saying their goal was to get out in front of the story.

'Suicide and sexual violence both result in serious trauma and for the two to coincide as they have in this case, the trauma is even more immediate and serious,' Cara Courchesne, communications director at MECASA, wrote in the statement.

Chief Deputy Hart Daley, with the Oxford County Sheriff's Office, would not comment on the allegations against Johnston in this case, but he said the agency was 'pretty confident' with who the suspect in the sexual assault is.  

According to Johnston's obituary, his love of weather started a child growing up in Pennsylvania, when instead of watching cartoons he would tune in to The Weather Channel.

Mr Popular: Before coming to WCSH-TV in Maine in 2014, Johnston had worked as a weather anchor across the South, including at several stations in Florida where he received two back-to-back Best Weathercast awards

He later went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in atmospheric science from Rutgers University and a Master's degree in broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University.

Before coming to WCSH-TV in Maine in 2014, Johnston had worked as a weather anchor across the South, including at several stations in Florida where he received two back-to-back Best Weathercast awards in 2007 and 2008 from the Florida Associated Press.

Johnston's online is obituary described him as an avid outdoorsman, philanthropist and a dedicated father of three.  

WCSH announced Johnston's death 'with great sadness' on its website April 7. He was described as a hardworking and 'wicked funny' on and off the camera.  

'Tom loved to forecast and loved his job. He was at his best broadcasting or doing Facebook live shots in the middle of a blizzard,' the site said.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with Tom's family. We will miss that great laugh of his, his fierce competitive spirit and his love for all things weather-related.'