Man rescued, 3 others dead after boat sinks off Stuart

PBSO deputy, 9-year-old son among trio killed during fishing trip

STUART, Fla. – One man was rescued, but three other people, including a 9-year-old boy, were killed after their boat started to sink during a fishing trip off the coast of Stuart.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday that it suspended its search for three men and a boy who were reported missing Sunday night.

Fernandas Jones, 51, his son, Jayden Jones, Willis Bell and Robert Stewart left Sunday morning for a fishing trip on a 24-foot Sea Ray boat, but Jones' wife called the Coast Guard after they didn't return at sunset as expected.

A Martin County Sheriff's Office helicopter crew spotted Stewart on Monday morning on a beach just south of the St. Lucie Inlet. The 45-year-old man was rescued and taken to Martin Medical Center.

During a news conference Monday, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said Stewart told investigators that he swam to shore and then passed out.

Snyder said the boat sank after it was swamped with water from the rough surf.

"The boat did not turn over," Snyder said. "It appears to have stayed flat and below the surface."

Snyder said a cellphone signal gave search-and-rescue crews a general location of the boaters, but because the boat sank and the hull was black, they were unable to find it.

"Our survivor and the other three on the boat (clung) to the boat for a period of time, but one by one were not able to stay with the boat and ultimately drowned," Snyder said.

The boy was wearing a life jacket when he was found. Snyder said Stewart told investigators that the men tied a rope around Jayden to help him stay afloat.

"Our survivor does say that he had the 9-year-old in a life jacket and held on to him for as long as he could," Snyder said.

It was not immediately known if the other men were wearing life jackets.

Jones was a deputy employed by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. He worked for the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department from 1994 until 2011.

Stewart was being treated for dehydration. He was expected to remain at the hospital overnight.


About the Authors:

Peter Burke returned for a second stint of duty at Local 10 News in February 2014.