JAMES CITY COUNTY, Va. - The Coast Guard and local agencies have suspended their search for a missing boater who was reported overdue Monday morning.
Officials were searching for 34-year-old Russell Hines.
The Coast Guard was notified by the James City County Sheriff's Office that Hines’s 29-foot boat was discovered aground with the engine running in the James River, in the vicinity of Gray's Creek, near Williamsburg. They say the boat was found with signs of recent occupancy.
Crews from the Coast Guard Cutter Dolphin, Station Portsmouth and Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, searched a total of 234 square miles and a total of 45 asset hours.
“We grieve with Mr. Hines’s loved ones and offer them our deepest condolences,” says Cmdr. Jason Ingram, Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator for Coast Guard Sector Virginia. “Thank you to all of our crew members and local partner agencies for your efforts. We are suspending this search with very heavy hearts. I ask that all boaters please use all available safety measures on the water including engine disabling switches, life jackets, locator beacons, and float plans.”
Other crews that assisted in the search include:
- James City County Fire Department
- James City County Police Department
- Virginia Marine Resources Commission
- Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
- West Point Volunteer Fire Department
- Prince George's County Fire Department
- Newport News Fire Department
Anyone with any information about Russell Hines’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Sector Virginia Command Center at (757) 483-8567.
