Vessel 1 was found unoccupied and drifted onto shore in the north bay of Kelleys Island.  Shortly thereafter the Victim (the Operator) was found deceased and floating on the east side of Kelleys Island.  There were no witnesses to the events leading up to the demise of the Victim.  Follow-up on phone calls from the Victim's cell phone in the period preceding the discovery of the vessel and the deceased indicated that the last call the deceased made was to a friend to say that the Victim was on his way to a marina on the south side of Kelleys Island when his rudder broke and he had lost steering.  The Victim reported his location at that time as the east side of Kelleys Island.  The friend had asked if the Victim needed assistance, but the deceased had indicated that he had a ship to shore radio to call for assistance.  When the friend called back approximately one hour after their last conversation, the Victim did not answer.

Investigation revealed that the rudder on Vessel 1 was gone at the time of discovery; the Victim was found in swim trunks.  Preliminary results of an autopsy revealed no head trauma to the Victim and his death was ruled as an accidental drowning. 

Investigation continues on this incident, but foul play is not suspected at this time.
Kelleys Island                