Officials investigate after 2 bodies found with missing boat Seahorse off Cape Cod
The Seahorse is captained by Shawn Arsenault, the
Officials did not identify the two people whose bodies were recovered. They said next of kin were notified.
'Our hearts go out to the families of both persons onboard,' Commander Cliff Graham, search and rescue mission coordinator for the case, said in a statement.
Advertisement
'The level of support from our maritime response partners and members from the fishing and local community was remarkable,' Graham's statement said. 'It directly contributed to detection of the vessel and closure for the family.'
A recreational fisherman spotted the 30-foot white-hulled vessel while trolling near the search area, according to the statement.
A Coast Guard cutter named William Sparling, which had been searching overnight, arrived at the scene within 30 minutes, and divers from Massachusetts Environmental Police and State Police identified the boat.
The office of Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois is investigating.
'This matter remains under active investigation,' community outreach coordinator Katie Green told the Globe on Wednesday. She said the district attorney's office could not comment further.
Advertisement
Seahorse was two days overdue from a fishing trip in Cape Cod Bay when the search began Tuesday morning.
The harbormaster in Orleans initiated the search.
The boat was last believed to be two miles off Chatham, where it was placed by a cell phone ping, according to a social media post by the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England.
Seahorse has a gold mermaid figure on the bow, and 'SEAHORSE' painted on the stern in rough lettering, officials said.
The Seahorse was docked in Orleans harbor last week, according to kayaker Daniel Moniz, who said in an email he noted the boat's distinctive mermaid.
The vessel was known to fish in the area near Billingsgate Shoals, and usually returned the same day, according to the Coast Guard's statement.
The harbormaster in Orleans became concerned after seeing the owner's truck at the marina two days later, the statement said.
The Coast Guard issued an urgent marine information broadcast Tuesday morning to notify the public of the emergency, and launched Stations Chatham, Cape Cod Canal, and Provincetown to search the fishing area within Cape Cod Bay, the statement said.
Search efforts also focused on the location of the last known cell phone ping from the owner's phone, two miles offshore from Chatham, officials said.
On Wednesday, a Coast Guard plane and a State Police helicopter joined the search effort.
Prior Globe reporting contributed to this report.
Claire Thornton can be reached at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Woman dragged into bushes by man with knife on Mass. road
A woman was dragged into the bushes by a man with a knife on the road connecting Nahant to the mainland Tuesday night, according to police. Nahant police responded to a report of an assault near the Halfway Bathhouse on Nahant Road around 9 p.m., Nahant police said in a Facebook post Thursday afternoon. Officers at the scene determined that a woman had been dragged into the bushes by a male suspect who was armed with a knife, but that the suspect had been able to flee the scene. The attack left the woman with non-life-threatening cuts, police said. She was aided at the scene by ambulance personnel Nahant and Massachusetts State Police. State Police are investigating the incident, Nahant police said. State Police did not immediately respond to a request for updates about the case Thursday afternoon. 'This is a reminder to everyone that while we strive to be proactive in our patrols, Nahant is not impervious to crime. We remind everyone that people should be aware of their location at all times and exercise good situational awareness in their surroundings,' Nahant police wrote in the Facebook post. No further information about the incident has been released. 3 Mass. men indicted in connection with Worcester mother, son's shooting deaths Chelsea man charged with murder in fatal stabbing of high schooler in March Three arraigned for trafficking cocaine in Westfield Brockton driving school owner pleads guilty to bribing road test examiners Ex-bouncer at Boston bar found guilty of raping woman in men's bathroom Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ship captain convicted of poaching lobsters, crabs and mussels
A Vietnamese national and captain of a 400-foot cargo ship docked in Newington was arrested last week by Fish and Game officers after receiving a tip about illegal lobster trapping. Bui Cong Doai, 44, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors for lobster and crab fishing without a license and illegal possession of someone else's lobster gear, as well as five other violations. He had a Vietnamese passport and United States visa, according to Conservation Officer Justin Whipple. In all, he paid $1,269 as part of the conviction. Mussels Bui Cong Doai, 44, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors for lobster and crab fishing without a license and illegal possession of someone else's lobster gear, as well as five other violations. The cargo ship, Franbo Lohas, which sails under the Panama flag, had been docked on the Piscataqua River in Newington. Fish and Game noticed multiple ropes extending from the ship with traps belonging to a licensed New Hampshire commercial fisherman. 'There were four lines total off of the ship, two large and two small,' Whipple said. 'The two large each had a trap they were actively using to fish.' Officers found lobsters, crabs and bags of blue mussels. A female egg-bearing lobster was found in an undersized cage just to keep it alive. The investigation started after Whipple received a tip from a local lobsterman who had his gear tangled in lines coming from the cargo ship. 'When he retrieved his gear, he pulled up what was clearly an illegal lobster pot,' he said. 'He took some photos, gave me a call and reported it.' Fish and Game needed to get permission from the Coast Guard and the pier operator SubCom to board the ship. Based on information provided to Fish and Game, this is the first time the ship docked in New Hampshire. Bui Cong Doai, 44, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors for lobster and crab fishing without a license and illegal possession of someone else's lobster gear, as well as five other violations. 'We had probable cause based on the photos to do the investigation with the blessing of the Coast Guard,' Whipple said. 'We wanted to do it quickly because we weren't sure when the ship would be leaving.' The violations include illegal trap construction, possession of a short egg-bearing lobster, unlawful possession of crabs, unlawful possession of blue mussels and an egg-bearing Jonah crab. Fish and Game was able to work with the courts for an expedited arraignment, which led to the conviction. The egg-bearing lobster likely had never been caught before because it did not have a 'v-notch' marking, which fishermen use to mark breeding lobster. 'Hopefully, it will encourage people to keep giving us calls if they see anything skeptical and know that we are willing to get out there and do the investigation and the legwork,' Whipple said. He's glad the case was able to be settled before the ship left port.
Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Jury finds Haverhill School Committee member not guilty of groping teen
A juror told the station that surveillance video from the convenience store did not corroborate the teen's version of events. Neither Ferguson nor her lawyer responded to requests for comment from the Globe on Thursday. Advertisement The mother recognized Ferguson from her son's description and alerted police. Officers went to Ferguson's home and arrested her. According to a police report, Ferguson approached the teen, who was wearing a Halloween mask, outside the store around 7:45 p.m. The report said Ferguson groped the boy's buttocks when she entered the store and grabbed at his chest when she left. 'Oh, you have nipples,' Ferguson said, according to the report. The report also said Ferguson called the teen a 'creep' after he told her to go away. Ferguson did not deny interacting with the teen. She told police she had been at the store playing Keno and that she had poked the boy in the chest and told him he was 'scary.' Advertisement Ferguson denied any further physical interaction, the report said. While awaiting trial, Ferguson was released on personal recognizance with a 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew. She was ordered to stay away from minors and had to wear a GPS monitor. Haverhill Mayor Melinda Barrett and Superintendent Margaret Marotta did not respond to requests for comment from the Globe Thursday. Ferguson was elected to the School Committee in November 2023. Ferguson told 97.9 WHAV that she intends to finish out her term with the School Committee, which ends Dec. 31, and does not intend to run for re-election. Tonya Alanez can be reached at
