Coast Guard suspends search for missing boater

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Coast Guard suspended its search at 6 p.m. Thursday for a missing man in the vicinity of Little Creek Inlet.

At approximately 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning, Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads Command Center watchstanders received a report from a crewmember aboard the fishing vessel Markim II stating that he found the sailboat Wampeter drifting toward the rocks with its lights on and engine running with no one aboard.

Throughout the day Coast Guard, state, and local agencies dispatched 19 assets, including both boats and helicopters, to conduct searches that covered approximately 1150 square miles in the Chesapeake Bay.

To report any information regarding this case, please contact the Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads Command Center at 757-638-6635.