RedactedNarrative: On Friday January 13th, 2017 at 7:40AM the NJ State Police were advised that there was a missing boater whose last known location was in the Little Egg Harbor in the series of sedge islands located between Tuckerton and Holgate.  
  
  Investigation of this incident revealed:  Friends and family members of the victim reported that the boater reported that they spoke to him during the evening hours of Thursday January 12th and that he had reported that he had run aground and was going to wait for the tide to rise to free his vessel.  During these conversations which occurred in the time from approximately 6:00PM to approximately 7:00PM Operator reported that he had run aground, was walking his boat around and was unsure of his exact location but mentioned that he was possibly near the Brick Pile and Soldier's Hole but that he was "ok" and did not request help.
  
  Witness #1, reported that he was clamming on January 12th and had seen Operator clamming on his way back to shore.   Once Witness1 returned to the dock, he waited for Operator who he figured would be returning due to darkness falling.   When Operator did not return, Witness1 called Operator and the two spoke several times.  Operator indicated that he was aground but was not in distress and was going to wait for the tide to come in.  At some point during the series of events Operator stopped answering Witness1' phone calls and the phone began going straight to voicemail.     Witness1 reported that he went out to look for Operator in his boat two separate times during the evening with negative results.
  
  Witness #1 further reported that he joined the victim's brother on the following morning at daybreak to continue the search.  During this search they located the missing vessel in what Witness1 estimated was Hither Channel (Witness1 was unsure of the exact location the vessel was found).  Once the vessel was found the victim’s brother operated V1, utilizing it to further search the area for the missing boater.  At 740AM, as they continues the search, Witness1 called 9-1-1 to report the incident to authorities.
  
  Once the incident was reported a search and rescue operation was launched by the NJ State Police, US Coast Guard and local rescuers with no signs of the missing boater. 
  
   Witness 1 indicated the vessel was found with the engine powered off and trimmed down.  He further indicated that the anchor was found on the deck of the boat with the operator's pants and some belongings.  He felt that it was likely that the victim was wearing his hip waders and had voluntarily exited the vessel to push the boat through shallow waters.  According to witness #1, the victim was known to not utilize a PFD during his boating and clamming excursions.
  
  
  
  Although the vessel was moved from where it was initially found, a post SAR boarding of the vessel indicated no signs of collision.  The key was in the ignition and the vessel appeared operable and seaworthy.  Although no witnesses report seeing Operator up close, Operator was known to utilize hip waders to wade into shallow waters and rake for clams and is believed to have been wearing them in order to push the vessel wherever he initially ran aground.   
  
  Preliminary investigation indicates that V1 exited his vessel voluntarily at some point to push it because the water was too shallow to operate in.  As darkness fell over the area Operator would have had a difficult time navigating the area which is a series of sandbars, deep channels and sedge islands. There was no evidence that he ever re-entered or attempted to operate the vessel.  This case remains under investigation as Operator is still missing.
  
  4/28/17:
  
  On this date a pilot flying a routine mission for the Ocean County Mosquito Control Commission reported locating what appeared to be a dead body lying face down in a marsh area of Middle Island in the Little Egg Harbor.  NJSP Marine Services Bureau, Point Pleasant Station, was informed of this report and responded to investigate.
  
  Marine Services Bureau Troopers prepared and launched a flat bottomed airboat to be able to reach the area where the body was reported.  SSgt. was able to navigate to the body located at GPS coordinates 39.563.551/-74.284.354.  In order to prevent the further loss of evidence due to the tidal conditions of the area the partially skeletenized remains were collected by SSgt..  The remains were transported to shore and subsequently processed by Det. CSI Central.
  
  Once at shore, I observed the chest area and skull areas were skeletenized.  The lower torso and legs were contained in chest waders and were partially preserved from decomposition.
  
  Ocean County Medical Examiner pronounced the body deceased at 1400 hours.  The remains were subsequently transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River by Wood Funeral home pending autopsy and positive identification.
  
  On Monday May 1st 2017 Dr. from the Ocean County Medical Examiner's Office conducted a post mortem examination of the partially skeletenized remains recovered by MSB Troopers on April 28th.  Due to the state of decomposition of the remains the ME was unable to positively identify the remains and referred the case to a forensic odontologist to do a comparison of dental records  with the recovered remains.
  
  On Tuesday May 2nd 2017 a forensic odontologist, conducted an examination of the remains and was able to determine that the remains were, in fact, Operator (V1), missing since January 12th, 2017.  
  
  Based upon a review of the facts learned during this investigation and the examination of the remains the ME ruled the death of Operator to be accidental in nature and due to drowning of January 12th, 2017.
  
  Based upon facts learned in this investigation it was learned that V1 ran aground and got out of his vessel to push the vessel toward deeper water.  The victim was known to wear hip waders with no PFD when clamming and otherwise negotiating shallow waters.  In this case it appears that the victim suffered an unknown emergency while outside the vessel and drowned.  Although it is not certain as to what exactly lead to Operator's death it is likely that contributing factors to this death include cold water temperature, lack of PFD use in conjunction with wader use, high freeboard of vessel which would have made emergency re-entry to vessel difficult.  
  
  Closed.
  