A “beloved” Texas couple and their two young sons are feared to have died after the boat they were on capsized and sank into 51-degree water off a remote coastline of Alaska.
The US Coast Guard received a report at around 7 p.m. on Saturday that a 28-foot aluminum vessel carrying eight lives had sent out an emergency distress call that their ship had begun taking on water and was in dire need of being rescued, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
A radio broadcast was quickly sent out by the Coast Guard to other ships in the area to aid in the rescue about 16 miles off the coast of Homer, Alaska, branch spokesman Travis Magee told the outlet.
Magee said the ship Salty Sea responded to the call before rescue personnel reached the sinking vessel and saved four people stranded in a life raft in the frigid water.
The four rescued are expected to be okay and were not injured.
Sadly, however, Mary and David Maynard, along with their two young sons, Colton, 11, and Brantley, 7, remain missing.
Family friend Stetson Chase provided a statement on Facebook Monday on behalf of Mary Maynard’s parents and confirmed that the Troy, TX., family were onboard when the ship was sinking and have yet to be found.
“Mary, her husband, and 2 sons were lost at sea last night in Alaska after their vessel capsized,” Stetson wrote. “I can vouch for many that they were a wonderful, caring, and loving family that deserves to be brought home.”
The Coast Guard immediately launched a search and rescue for the missing family around the area where the boat sank, using a helicopter, plane, cutter, and two other vessels and help from Alaska Wildlife Troopers and Good Samaritan boats to scan the area around where the ship sank.
Search efforts were ultimately suspended on Sunday at around 6 p.m.
“Any time we make a decision to suspend a search and rescue case is a very difficult one to make,” Coast Guard Petty Officer Shannon Kerney told KCEN-TV.
“Cases that are suspended, they’re only suspended pending the development of new information. If anything comes to light, any new information that we get, we’re more than happy and willing to go out and continue our search. Our hearts are definitely with the families right now as they grieve.”
Just days before he went missing, David Maynard shared photos of the scenery in Alaska and a bear he saw while out in nature with his family in his final Facebook post before going missing.
“After 4 days in Alaska I FINALLY got to see my first bear!!!! No picture can ever show just how beautiful this place truly is!!!!!” the missing father captioned his last post.
Mary Maynard, 37, was a traveling nurse, and David Maynard, 42, stayed home with the children and had a lawn care business.
Family friend Christi Wells told the Associated Press that their two boys both play soccer and baseball.
She added that the Maynard family enjoyed spending time with friends and relatives and traveling.
Cassandra Martin, a longtime friend of the Maynards, told KWTX that she’s devastated by the news of what happened to the beloved family.
“[It’s] hard to believe that this could be real,” a heartbroken Martine said. “[Mary] and her husband and her boys are all really beloved members of our community.”
