Nathan Carman, 22, a boater, who vanished at sea along with his mother, Linda Carman, more than eight days ago has been found alive. However, Linda Carman is still missing.
Sunday, a miracle took place for family and friends of the Carmans – a passing freighter off the coast of Massachusetts spotted the young man adrift on an inflatable life raft. Nathan Carman, who has Asperger’s Syndrome and had been missing for over a week, was rescued.
Linda Carman, 54, and her son left Rhode Island marina and went fishing on the young man’s 31-foot aluminum boat named the Chicken Pox on September 18, and they were never seen again. Linda and Nathan Carman are experienced fishers, who have traveled as far as Alaska to enjoy their passion.
The Coast Guard Coast Guard launched a massive search spanning 62,000 square nautical hoping to find the mother and son. Last Friday, family, and friends were devastated when the search was called off.
Someway, somehow, Nathan Carman made it out alive and well, according to Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicole Groll, a Coast Guard spokeswoman. The young man was spotted by the Orient Lucky freighter crew about 100 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.
He is expected to reach home on Tuesday, but the authorities did talk to him on the phone and asked him to explain what happened. Carman told Groll that the boat sank very fast, and he was not able to locate his mother. Groll said in a press conference:
“He looked for his mother and did not see her. He had some food and water, and he jumped into the life raft, and that was it.”
Groll added:
“The Coast Guard did not receive a distress call when the boat began taking on water. It is unclear whether the boat was equipped with a radio, but recreational boaters are urged to carry a radio and a waterproof case.”
On Tuesday morning, when the Orient Lucky arrives in Boston, Coast Guard officials will meet and talk with Carman to get some answers. Groll stated:
“When Nathan comes into port, he’ll be met by Coast Guard officials, and they’ll get a better understanding of what happened in this particular case and how to better prevent something like this from happening in the future.”
The Coast Guard also revealed that they would not reopen the search for Linda Carman because she is presumed dead. Sharon Hartstein, a friend of Linda Carman’s, said she is happy and heartbroken at the same time. Hartstein said:
“I was ecstatic, and then I found out Linda wasn’t with him, and I was terrified.”
Maynard Rounds, a neighbor in Vermont, said:
“Carman largely kept to himself while renovating and expanding a home he bought almost two years ago.I worried about Carman’s safety because he worked alone, even while up on the roof.”
This is not the first time Nathan Carman went missing. In 2011, while living in Connecticut, the then 17-year-old was devastated after his horse died. He was found in Sussex County, Virginia a few days later. Carman took a bus to Virginia and purchased a scooter so he could move to Florida.
These past few years have been tough for the family. In 2013, Linda Carman’s 87-year-old father, John Chakalos, was shot and killed at his home. The death was ruled a homicide, but the police have not been able to arrest anyone as yet for the crime.