Tyler Doyle, 22, of Loris, South Carolina, went missing on January 26, 2023, after a duck-hunting trip in a 16-foot jon boat near the Little River jetties. He dropped his friend on the north jetty, then proceeded alone to scout for ducks during a small-craft advisory and rough seas. Doyle later called to report his boat was taking on water and the motor would not keep running. His friend lost sight of him near the south jetty and called 911; a nearby boat could not reach him because of hazardous conditions.

Responders located Doyle’s partially submerged boat with only about a foot of the bow above water. Water temperature was 50 degrees and air temperature 39 degrees. Some of Doyle’s belongings, including waders and his wallet, later washed up off the coast of North Carolina. Multi-agency searches using sonar, drones, and K-9 teams brought no trace of Doyle.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources led the inquiry and concluded the disappearance was a hunting and boating accident, citing adverse weather and mechanical failure; no foul play was suspected. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division later joined the investigation. The family has continued to seek answers while coping with intense public attention and the birth of Doyle’s daughter after he vanished.

Did anyone witness that stretch of coastline or have information about boats in the area that afternoon?