Coast Guard Searching for Missing Man

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The Coast Guard is searching for a man after his vessel was found capsized at the mouth of Broad Creek in Camden County, N.C., Wednesday just before 6 p.m.

Lee Leonard, 45, of Shiloh, N.C., was identified as the missing man after Coast Guard rescue crews ran the boat’s registration and officers from Camden County Sheriff’s Office confirmed with his wife that he did go out boating Wednesday with his dog.

Coast Guard rescue coordinators directed a helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., to the location of the capsized vessel minutes after they received the initial call. A Coast Guard rescue boat from Station Elizabeth City, N.C., and several Coast Guard Auxiliary units from the area are also assisting in the search.

Sheriff Deputies reported that two campers apparently saw Leonard and his dog on Broad Creek sometime between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Coast Guard rescue crews searched for Leonard throughout most of the night and began their search again early this morning.

The water temperature in Broad Creek is in the low 50’s and the seas are calm. Rescue crews do not know if Leonard was wearing a lifejacket or any other type of survival equipment when his boat capsized. Coast Guard rescue crews did find one empty lifejacket near the capsized vessel.

The Coast Guard recommends that boaters wear their lifejackets at all times. Boaters should also file a float plan, which is simply telling a reliable friend or loved one where you’re going and when you’re going to come back. This greatly improves a boater’s chance of being rescued in the event they do get in to trouble on the water.

Coast Guard Searching for Missing Man

PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The Coast Guard is searching for a man after his vessel was found capsized at the mouth of Broad Creek in Camden County, N.C., Wednesday just before 6 p.m.

Lee Leonard, 45, of Shiloh, N.C., was identified as the missing man after Coast Guard rescue crews ran the boat’s registration and officers from Camden County Sheriff’s Office confirmed with his wife that he did go out boating Wednesday with his dog.

Coast Guard rescue coordinators directed a helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., to the location of the capsized vessel minutes after they received the initial call. A Coast Guard rescue boat from Station Elizabeth City, N.C., and several Coast Guard Auxiliary units from the area are also assisting in the search.

Sheriff Deputies reported that two campers apparently saw Leonard and his dog on Broad Creek sometime between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Coast Guard rescue crews searched for Leonard throughout most of the night and began their search again early this morning.

The water temperature in Broad Creek is in the low 50’s and the seas are calm. Rescue crews do not know if Leonard was wearing a lifejacket or any other type of survival equipment when his boat capsized. Coast Guard rescue crews did find one empty lifejacket near the capsized vessel.

The Coast Guard recommends that boaters wear their lifejackets at all times. Boaters should also file a float plan, which is simply telling a reliable friend or loved one where you’re going and when you’re going to come back. This greatly improves a boater’s chance of being rescued in the event they do get in to trouble on the water.