Two Bodies Found Near Boat Sinking

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Category: News

Created on Tuesday, 10 December 2024 15:43

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By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Two bodies were recovered from a beach near Hoonah Monday, among debris from the fishing boat Wind Walker which sank with five aboard more than a week ago, troopers said today.
    Troopers said they received a report Monday that the bodies had been found on a Spasski Bay beach four miles east of Hoonah, and sent out a Juneau-based National Guard helicopter with troopers, a SEADOG K9 search team, and NOAA Law Enforcement to search the area. A trooper boat also helped in Monday’s search.

Malisa Crisman gets a hug from Paul Rioux Saturday on the University of Alaska Southeast boat ramp during a vigil held for those experiencing grief over recent tragedies. Crisman’s son, E.J. Emilio Celaya-Talamantez, was one of five fishermen on the F/V Wind Walker when it sank near Point Couverden on December 1. Two bodies believed to be victims of the sinking were recovered Monday near Hoonah. The vigil on Saturday drew more than 100 people, including some from out of town. Rioux and Nalani James organized the event that included music by Joe Montagna, Jen Reid, Peter Apathy and Elias Erickson. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

    “The remains are being transported to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy and positive identification. Next of kin have been notified,” troopers said in their Daily Dispatches.
      No other human remains were found in a search with the dogs on the five mile beach, AST said.
    The 52-foot seiner-longliner Wind Walker sent out a mayday call at 12:07 a.m. December 1, from near Point Couverden, 25 miles southwest of Juneau. No further calls were received from the vessel and no signs of the boat were found when the first searchers arrived within an hour. The air and water search lasted about 24 hours and covered over 108 square nautical miles before it was suspended December 2.
    Troopers said today that the debris found on the beach where Monday’s search was conducted included survival suits, long-line fishing gear such as buoys, line markers, and other fishing gear. The buoys, survival suits, and some of the other debris included markings from the F/V Wind Walker.
    The Coast Guard identified the five men missing from the Wind Walker as Travis Kapp, Jacob Hannah, Alex Ireland, Emilio Celaya-Talamantez and Michael Brown.
Authorities have not provided their ages and hometowns.