Texas Family Missing in Alaskan Waters Found
A boat and human remains thought to belong to a Texas family who went missing in Alaskan waters over a year ago have been discovered, officials said Wednesday.
The Missing Family
David Maynard, 42, of Waco, Texas, was on a boat with his wife, Mary, 37, and their children, 11-year-old Colton and 8-year-old Brantley, when they went missing on August 3, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. According to the DPS, they were boating in Kachemak Bay near Homer, Alaska, which is southwest of Anchorage.
The search efforts
The US Coast Guard looked for the family but called off the search after nearly 24 hours, “pending the development of new information.”
“The decision to suspend a search is never easy and involves the careful consideration of many factors including environmental conditions and search operations,” U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Shannon Kerney previously told USA TODAY. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family, friends, and loved ones of the missing people during this unimaginably difficult time.”
The Discovery of the Boat
The Alaska Dive, Search, Rescue, and Recovery Team attempted to locate the family’s yacht using sonar equipment but initially found nothing. An Alaska jury declared the family of four dead in October, just a few months after they went missing, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
Sunken Boat Found Over 8 Months After Family Went Missing
Eight months later, in April, more organizations volunteered to assist with the search, including Support Vessels of Alaska, Vision Subsea, and Benthic Geoscience Inc. In early May, the group discovered a boat in 180 feet of water. The team used a remotely operated vehicle to identify the missing boat that the family was on; the boat also had “potential human remains,” according to DPS.
On May 27 and 28, volunteers from the Alaska Dive Search, Rescue, and Recovery Team and Alaska Wildlife Troopers conducted a diving operation and retrieved three sets of remains from the sunken boat. The state medical examiner’s office received the remains for positive identification and autopsy.
The Search for Additional Remains
The Alaska Dive Search, Rescue, and Recovery Team announced on social media that they are seeking further remains.
“Identification of the remains will be released by DPS once the medical examiner completes their work,” the team wrote in the post. The post did not say how long the process may take, but did confirm that next of kin had been notified.
About the Missing Family
Mary and David Maynard’s sons both played soccer and baseball, according to Christi Wells, Mary Maynard’s aunt, who spoke to the Anchorage Daily News on their behalf last year. Wells told the newspaper that Mary was a traveling nurse and David was a stay-at-home parent who ran a lawn care business.
Support for Families
We created a GoFundMe to assist the missing family and cover unexpected costs. As of May 29, users had donated more than $21,000.
Tanashea Aviles, who launched the GoFundMe page, stated that the family hoped to bring their loved ones home.
“This family is going through a lot right now,” Aviles wrote.
The family’s Visit to Alaska
Wells spoke with NBC News about the missing family shortly after they disappeared. She revealed that the family had been in Alaska for her son’s wedding on July 27.
“The whole family, they were just sweet people,” Wells said at the time. “They were giving and loving people, and it’s just a horrible tragedy, a horrible tragedy.”