A tragic boating accident back in January has reached its conclusion two months later, as the body of a missing 17-year-old has apparently been recovered.
On Monday afternoon the Virginia Marine Police recovered a body in the water off Chincoteague. They believe it to be Nathan Jenkins, 17, who has been missing since the jon boat he was hunting in overturned Jan. 22.
Bay Bulletin reported on the accident shortly after it happened. A ground of four young duck hunters went out together in the jon boat during a winter storm. At the time, wind gusts ranged from 12-15 miles per hour. The air temperature was in the low 20s and the water was in the low 40s.
The boat capsized in Chincoteague Bay near Curtis Merritt Harbor. The Coast Guard soon recovered the body of Cory Alles, 18, of Bentonville, Va. Jenkins was missing, and a multi-day search was launched. Crews from Virginia Marine Police, the Virginia Port Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Virginia Beach Police, Virginia Beach Fire Department, Chesapeake Police, Chincoteague Police and the Accomack Sheriff’s Office all helped look for Jenkins.
The other two hunters involved, ages 17 and 19, had stayed with the boat when it capsized and were rescued by a good Samaritan. They were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Marine Police are awaiting medical examiner results to confirm the body belongs to Jenkins. A statement released by a police spokesman reads, “The Virginia Marine Police extends its deepest sympathy to the families of the victims.”
-Meg Walburn Viviano
