Bodies of 3 men recovered after boat found near Santa Cruz Island
The Coast Guard recovered the bodies of three men whose 24-foot recreational boat was found capsized near Santa Cruz Island after a family member reported it missing Sunday morning, officials said.
Searchers spotted the body of a fourth man who was on the boat but were unable to recover it, Petty Officer Adam Eggers said Sunday night. None of the men was wearing a life jacket.
Eggers said he was prohibited by Coast Guard policy from releasing the victims’ names. No one answered the phone at the Santa Barbara County coroner’s office, which is involved in the case.
The Coast Guard began its search after a relative of one of the men reported that the boat failed to return to Channel Islands Harbor at the expected time. The Coast Guard launched a helicopter and two boats for the search, which was assisted by Santa Cruz Island park rangers and a Santa Barbara County sheriff’s chopper.
The overturned pleasure craft was found about 1 p.m., and the three bodies were recovered shortly thereafter. A search continued Sunday night for the fourth body, which had been spotted from the air earlier in the day. The helicopter had to leave the area to refuel, and the body was gone by the time one of the search boats arrived, Eggers said.
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