Just before 10:30pm, Wednesday night, the Coast Guard suspended its search for 59 year old Dan VanCleave of Harbor, Oregon Wednesday night after more than 22 hours of combined searches in the vicinity of Brookings the U.S. Coast Guard stated in a press release.
Coast Guard Sector North Bend coordinated 14 combined searches, which were conducted by an MH-65 Dolphin aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station North Bend, an aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay, a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Chetco River and a beach-combing search conducted by members of Station Chetco River. All searches resulted in negative results.
Before noon on Wednesday afternoon the Coast Guard released a more detailed timeline of events.
Dan VanCleave was reported overdue Tuesday night by his wife after he failed to return home before sunset.
The 13th Coast Guard District Command Center in Seattle conducted a forensics investigation, and VanCleave’s cellphone company produced the phone’s location on land in Brookings, with a 2000-foot radius area of uncertainty that includes the beaches and ocean.
At 7:10pm members of Coast Guard Station Chetco River conducted a land-based search of beach areas within the cell phone range and launched illumination flares.
At 7:40pm Coast Guard Sector North Bend launched an aircrew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter to search above the marine layer to possibly draw a flare and a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Station Chetco River searched outside the Chetco River entrance.
At 8:00pm VanCleave’s truck and trailer was located at the Brookings Boat Basin.
Coast Guard members reviewed the day’s footage from the bar-tower camera to determine if or when VanCleave’s vessel departed the harbor.
At 10:00pm the aircrew located an unlit boat 1.7 miles south of the Chetco River Jetty.
The Motor Lifeboat Crew arrived on scene and confirmed that the 16-foot vessel, which was found with the engine idling in the down position, was registered to VanCleave. His cellphone and other personal items were found however the boat was unattended.
The crew towed the boat into Brookings and then continued with the search effort through the night. Aircrews from Sector North Bend and boatcrews from Station Chetco River continue to search the area Wednesday.
“Suspending a search is never an easy decision to make,” said Capt. Benjamin Berg, chief of response for the 13th Coast Guard District. “We strive to save every single life, but tonight our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr. VanCleave.”
The family of the Wild Coast Compass extends our deepest condolences to the friends and family of Mr. Dan VanCleave.