Married couple found dead in crashed boat along NC shoreline, officials say
UPDATE: The married couple who died in the boat crash was traveling to meet their family for dinner the same day as the accident, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission said in a Nov. 8 news release.
The crash was reported at about 10:15 p.m. on Nov. 4, roughly four hours before their bodies were found. Speed played a role, and other possible factors are being investigated, officials said.
The original story is below.
A married couple was found dead in a crashed boat along a North Carolina river, officials said.
Crews made the grim discovery as multiple agencies searched for an “overdue boater” early Nov. 5, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The crash was reported on the Pamlico River, near the Dinah’s Landing boat ramp. It happened in the Bath area, roughly 125 miles east of Raleigh.
Now, the sheriff’s office has joined the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission in investigating the single-boat crash. Officials in a news release didn’t say what caused the crash but said first responders started searching the water for a missing boater at about 2:30 a.m. Nov. 5.
“Responding personnel quickly located the crashed vessel in a wooded shoreline near Dinah’s Landing,” deputies wrote. “Both occupants were found deceased at the scene.”
The husband and wife who died were identified as 59-year-old Charles Bailey and 58-year-old Suzanne Bailey. The couple lived in Bath, the wildlife commission told McClatchy News in an email.
Wildlife officials and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately share additional details with McClatchy News on Nov. 6.
This story was originally published November 6, 2023 at 2:35 PM.
