SURRY COUNTY, Va. – The Coast Guard, along with Virginia State Police, the James City County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, have suspended the search for two missing boaters in the James River, according to the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard was notified at 1 p.m. Thursday about an overdue 16-foot-boat with two duck hunters on board. According to the Coast Guard, the two boaters left the Jamestown Yacht Marina on January 3 at 7 p.m. and rode across the James River to their duck blind on Gray’s Creek.
The two men did not return to their truck at the marina. The marina notified the Coast Guard Thursday afternoon.
Local efforts immediately started searching for the boaters. James City County Sheriffs brought out two of their boats and helicopters and searched the Black River, Kings Mill Creek and Passmore Creek. They did not find the boaters.
At 4:40 p.m., a Virginia State Police helicopter found an overturned boat that matched the description in the northwest side of Hoggs Island.
Hampton Roads Coast Guard launched their helicopter in Elizabeth City to search, but did not find the two boaters.
A large Coast Guard vessel arrived on scene at 1:30 a.m. Friday morning to relieve the Coast Guard helicopter and continued to search through the night and early morning. They still have not found the boaters.
A 45 foot response boat from the Portsmouth Coast Guard arrived searched in the James River and around Hogg Island. The search was suspended around 12:45 p.m. Friday.
