Dale Edward Howell was 29 and from the Watkins Glen area when he fell overboard from a sailboat on Seneca Lake on September 15, 1982. He was not wearing a life jacket and could not swim. At the time he was last seen he wore a tan and brown flannel shirt, blue jeans, and work boots.

Those on the sailboat and later search teams were unable to recover him. The lake’s depth and size made searches difficult, and no body was found. The New York State Police concluded he accidentally fell from the vessel and drowned, but his remains were never recovered, leaving the family without formal closure.

Did anyone who sailed Seneca Lake around that time or remembers seeing a sailboat in that area on September 15, 1982 have information that could still help explain what happened?