Latest news with #MaryMaynard
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Police find boat of Texas parents and two kids who went missing in Alaska a year ago
Nearly a year after a Texas family went missing on a boat in Alaska, the authorities in the state have found their vessel submerged off the coast in 180ft of water. The Alaska Department of Public Safety announced on Wednesday that authorities located the family's boat and potential human remains in early May. The tragic update comes after David Maynard, 42, Mary Maynard, 37, and their sons Colton, 11, and Brantley, 8, disappeared at sea last August. The family of four was on board a 28ft aluminum vessel with four others when it began taking in water. The other four others were rescued from a life raft, but the family was on board the ship when it capsized and sank in the freezing Alaskan waters. A massive search ensued, led by the Coast Guard and Alaska Wildlife Troopers. The authorities used helicopters and sonar equipment to find the family, but the search was suspended the following evening. An update came in April when Support Vessels of Alaska, Vision Subsea, and Benthic Geoscience contacted the Alaska Wildlife Troopers with additional resources to assist in the search, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. 'In early May, the group was able to locate the vessel in 180 feet of water and utilizing a remotely operated vehicle, they were able to positively identify it as the missing boat with potential human remains onboard,' the Alaska Department of Public Safety said. After the companies located the sunken ship, divers conducted operations to recover the remains on board. There were three sets of remains found that have been transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office to confirm the identities. The family had been presumed dead after search efforts were suspended last year. At a presumptive death hearing in September, one of the survivors spoke and tearfully recalled the moment the boat began to sink, audio obtained by local NBC affiliate, KCEN-TV revealed. 'They were just gone,' one survivor recounted. 'It had to have been, I mean it was 10 minutes, maybe 10 minutes from us having fun to the boat - the boat rolled like this, tipped on its side and then the engines went down and just the nose up,' she added. The captain of the boat said that the engine had sputtered, and he anchored the vessel after seeing another fishing boat nearby. 'At one point, David asked me, got my attention, and he pointed to the back corner of the deck where there was a drain hole for water that would come up, get on deck,' the captain said. 'He pointed to it and he said, "Is that normal?" and I said "no."' The captain, who wasn't identified, said that he tried to fire up the engine, but it wouldn't start. David then tried to use the radio to call for help. When help arrived, the four survivors had escaped, but the Maynards didn't make it off the capsized boat. A ship called the Salty Sea rescued the survivors, and the ship's captain said their rescuers, 'asked if there was anybody else, and I told him there were, but they didn't make it out of the boat'. The jury determined that the family of four died as a result of accidental drowning. The family from Troy, Texas, had been on vacation in Alaska at the time. Appeal: A GoFundMe said the family 'left a huge imprint on many people, from the laughter they brought to us, the love and family-oriented connection they provided' A family friend told the Anchorage Daily News at the time that their sons, Colton and Brantley, both played soccer and baseball. Mary worked as a traveling nurse, and David had a lawn care business and stayed home with the kids. A fundraiser was set up to support the family on GoFundMe, and raised over $21,500. It said on the site: 'The Maynards left a huge imprint on many people, from the laughter they brought to us, the love and family-oriented connection they provided. It is indescribable the void that will be left behind but I know if we come together as a family and a community they would know how much they meant to everyone.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Private companies recover remains after search for missing family suspended
A boat and human remains have been recovered in Kachemak Bay near Homer, Alaska, in 180 feet of water, during a search for a Texas family of four, missing since August. Three private Alaskan companies volunteered in April to search for the boat using sonar equipment. Divers recovered three sets of remains from the sunken vessel, which have been taken to the State Medical Examiner's Office for identification. The missing family from Troy, Texas, includes Mary Maynard, 37, David Maynard, 42, and their sons Colton, 11, and Brantley, 8. The U.S. Coast Guard initially suspended the search the day after the boat was reported to be taking on water in August, after a nearby boat rescued four other people from the vessel. Remains found in year-long search for missing family whose boat capsized off Alaska
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Tragic update for Texas family who went missing at sea last summer
Authorities finally located a missing Texas family's boat nearly a year after they disappeared in 180 feet of water off the coast of Alaska. The Alaska Department of Public Safety announced on Wednesday that authorities located the family's boat and potential human remains in early May. The tragic update comes after David Maynard, 42, Mary Maynard, 37, and their sons Colton, 11, and Brantley, 8, disappeared at sea last August. The family of four was on board a 28 foot aluminum vessel with four others when it began taking in water. The four other individuals were rescued from a life raft, but the family was on board the ship when it capsized and sank in the freezing Alaskan waters. A massive search ensued, led by the Coast Guard and Alaska Wildlife Troopers. Authorities used helicopters and sonar equipment to find the family, but the search was suspended the following evening. An update came in April when Support Vessels of Alaska, Vision Subsea, and Benthic Geoscience contacted the Alaska Wildlife Troopers with additional resources to assist in the search, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. 'In early May, the group was able to locate the vessel in 180 feet of water and utilizing a remotely operated vehicle, they were able to positively identify it as the missing boat with potential human remains onboard,' the Alaska Department of Public Safety said. After the companies located the sunken ship, divers conducted operations to recover the remains on board. There were three sets of remains found that have been transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office to confirm the identities. The family had been presumed dead after search efforts were suspended last year. At a presumptive death hearing in September, one of the survivors spoke and tearfully recalled the moment the boat began to sink, audio obtained by local NBC affiliate, KCEN-TV revealed. 'They were just gone,' one survivor recounted. 'It had to have been, I mean it was 10 minutes, maybe 10 minutes from us having fun to the boat - the boat rolled like this, tipped on its side and then the engines went down and just the nose up,' she added. The captain of the boat said that the engine had sputtered, and he anchored the vessel after seeing another fishing boat nearby. 'At one point, David asked me, got my attention, and he pointed to the back corner of the deck where there was a drain hole for water that would come up, get on deck,' the captain said. 'He pointed to it and he said, "Is that normal?" and I said "no."' The captain, who wasn't identified, said that he tried to fire up the engine, but it wouldn't start. David then tried to use the radio to call for help. When help arrived, the four survivors had escaped, but the Maynards didn't make it off the capsized boat. A ship called the Salty Sea rescued the survivors, and the ship's captain said their rescuers, 'asked if there was anybody else, and I told him there were, but they didn't make it out of the boat.' The presumptive death jury then determined that the family of four died as a result of accidental drowning. The family was from Troy, Texas, and was on vacation in Alaska when their boat tragically sank. A family friend told the Anchorage Daily News at the time that their sons, Colton and Brantley, both played soccer and baseball. Mary worked as a traveling nurse, and David had a lawn care business and stayed home with the kids. A fundraiser was set up to support the family on GoFundMe, and donations passed the original goal. 'The Maynard's left a huge imprint on many people, from the laughter they brought to us, the love and family-oriented connection they provided, It is indescribable the void that will be left behind but I know if we come together as a family and a community they would know how much they meant to everyone,' the description on the fundraiser read.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Family of 4 Vanished on Cross-Country Trip to Alaska and Human Remains Were Just Found
Human remains and a boat have been found in an Alaska bay several months after a Texas family went missing in the same area. The search for the family of four — David Maynard, 42, Mary Maynard, 37, Colton Maynard, 11, and Brantley Maynard, 8 — was launched in August 2024, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. State troopers said the family was labeled missing after the initial search of Kachemak Bay near Homer was unsuccessful. In April 2025, Alaska Wildlife Troopers were contacted by Support Vessels of Alaska, Vision Subsea, and Benthic Geoscience Inc., which 'offered use of their professional tools' to conduct a new search of the bay. By early May, the family's missing boat was found in 180 feet of water 'with potential human remains onboard.' Three sets of remains were recovered from the vessel from Tuesday, May 27, to Wednesday, May 28. State troopers said the remains were transported to the State Medical Examiner's Office for identification and autopsies, and that next of kin had been notified. Christi Wells, who provided a statement to the Anchorage Daily News on behalf of Mary Maynard's parents, said the mom was a traveling nurse while her husband had a lawn care business and stayed home with their kids. The Troy family enjoyed spending time with friends and family, as well as traveling, Wells stated. More than $21,000 has been raised through a GoFundMe campaign started to support the family's loved ones following their disappearance. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'The Maynard's left a huge imprint on many people, from the laughter they brought to us, the love and family-oriented connection they provided,' wrote Tanashea Aviles, who organized the online fundraiser. She added, 'It is indescribable the void that will be left behind but I know if we come together as a family and a community they would know how much they meant to everyone.' Read the original article on People
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Missing family's boat found in Alaska waters along with human remains
Nearly a year after the US Coast Guard suspended the search for a family of four missing after the boat they were on capsized in waters off south-central Alaska, the vessel along with human remains have been found, officials said Wednesday. The discovery came after three private Alaska companies, including one that uses sonar equipment to search underwater, offered in April to help look for the family, who are from Texas, according to a statement released by the Alaska Department of Public Safety. Earlier this month, they found the missing boat along with human remains in 180ft (55 meters) of water in Kachemak Bay near Homer, the department said. Divers from the state were then able to recover three sets of remains from the sunken vessel during dives on Tuesday and Wednesday. The remains have been taken to the state medical examiner's office to perform autopsies and identify them, according to the public safety department. It did not say how long identifying the remains would take. The missing family from Troy, Texas, includes Mary Maynard, 37, and David Maynard, 42, along with sons Colton, 11, and Brantley, 8, according to the statement. The search for the family was launched in August after a report came in that a 28ft (8.5-meter) aluminum boat carrying eight people had begun taking on water, the US Coast Guard said at the time. The Coast Guard notified other ships in the area of the situation, and a boat nearby rescued four people. The Coast Guard scoured Kachemak Bay and Alaska search and rescue crews tried to use sonar equipment to find the family, according to the state's public safety department. But they were not successful and by the next evening, the search was suspended. Christi Wells, who provided a statement on behalf of Mary Maynard's parents at the time, said the family enjoyed spending time with friends and relatives, and traveling, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Mary Maynard was a traveling nurse and David Maynard stayed at home with the children and had a lawn care business, she said.
