JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A child remains unaccounted for nearly 60 hours after a vessel capsized on the St. Johns River near the Dames Point Bridge, sending eight people into the water, according to News 6 partner WJXT.
Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville said it received a report around 7 p.m. Friday of an overturned 18-foot vessel with four people on top of the vessel and four more people possibly underneath the boat.
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The four people on top of the boat were rescued by a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office marine unit.
Jacksonville Fire Rescue confirmed one person was found dead near the boat during the initial rescue. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, two children and one adult remained missing over the weekend.
On Monday, FWC said the adult and one of the children were found dead. The second child is still missing.
“Search efforts continued through the night and early the next morning, resuming at first light on March 22 through Sunday March 23. FWC, along with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Clay County Sheriff’s Office, has vessels and dive teams actively searching the area.
We urge the public to avoid the search zone to allow divers and officers to work safely," FWC said in a statement.
The Coast Guard had suspended its search Saturday night, but the search later resumed on Sunday.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of those missing. Suspending search efforts is an incredibly difficult and heartbreaking decision, made only after an exhaustive and thorough search,” said Lt. Cmdr. Barton Nanney, the Jacksonville search and rescue mission coordinator. “We are truly grateful to our partner agencies for their relentless efforts and unwavering support.”
On Sunday, community members got involved in looking for the missing boaters and expressed their commitment to providing closure for the families involved.
Various boating and community groups took to social media to organize the search efforts, which saw jet skis and boats patrolling the St. Johns River in hopes of locating the three remaining boaters.
“Just keep searching,” Maggie Cantu said. “Anybody that has a boat, any locals, if it was your family you wouldn’t want to search to stop just keep looking for them until they’re found.”
News4JAX spoke with a maritime expert who specializes in crashes similar to the one that occurred Friday night, and they recommended crews search for any loose remains of the boat, like seat cushions or other items, that can give investigators an idea of how things have moved over the past couple of days.
No one aboard the vessel was reportedly wearing lifejackets when the boat capsized. The investigation into what caused the boat to flip continues.
According to JFRD, the group was out taking photos of the sunset and said the call came in around 8 p.m. on Friday for a capsized boat near the Dames Point Bridge.
First responders with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Coast Guard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department responded to the Mill Cove area of Jacksonville, near where the Trout River and St. Johns River intersect.
FWC said they will be back out on the water searching on Monday. FWC has urged the public to avoid the search zone to ensure the safety of divers and officers working in the area.
The Lions Club Boat Launch and Reddie Point Reserve will be closed during the investigation.
Anyone with information that could assist in the search is urged to contact Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville at 904-714-7558.
