Overview
- A recreational boat struck the rocky north jetty at the mouth of the Merrimack River about 10:35 p.m. Friday, and two people were rescued and taken to local hospitals while one person was initially unaccounted for.
- U.S. Coast Guard crews and state troopers searched into the weekend but the Coast Guard suspended active search efforts Saturday evening for safety and weather reasons.
- A body was located in the Merrimack River near Ram Island about 4:06 p.m. Monday, according to the Essex County district attorney’s office, and Coast Guard teams recovered it Monday evening.
- State police notified the family and are leading the ongoing investigation while the body was transferred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for identification and cause determination; relatives have told local reporters the missing man is 49-year-old Vilmar Dorner but officials have not yet confirmed that publicly.
- Multiple agencies including the Coast Guard, Massachusetts State Police, local harbormasters and environmental police assisted in the search, and officials have warned boaters about the jetty’s known hazards during night operations.