Medical Examiner Hopes to Identify Bones on Garden Grove Man’s Boat
A Coast Guard cutter arrived in Hawaii Wednesday towing a heavily damaged sailboat that is registered to a missing Garden Grove lawyer and is carrying human bones.
The Marara was found adrift about 1,400 miles southeast of Hawaii last month. Rescuers believe the remains are those of the sloop’s skipper, Manning Eldridge. Honolulu’s medical examiner’s office plans to use dental charts to examine the remains today.
The Marara left Tahiti on Feb. 18 on a voyage to Hawaii, with only Eldridge aboard. A passing Korean fishing vessel notified the Coast Guard on July 25 that it had found the vessel. A Japanese fishing vessel confirmed that report on July 31 and identified the boat by name.
The Coast Guard cutter reached the vessel on Aug. 2 and took it under tow.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
