Boater from Charlotte area goes missing while fishing off North Carolina coast

UPDATE: The search for missing boater Jeffrey Kale was suspended April 8 after searchers failed to find him while covering 7,762 square miles of ocean off North Carolina, the U.S. Coast Guard says.

“Our extensive search by air and sea with numerous crews, assets, and several good Samaritans, saturated the various areas we believed he may be. ... The decision to suspend a search is one of the most difficult decisions to make. Our thoughts are with the Kale family,” Cmdr. Corrie Sergent of the USCG said in a statement.

The original story is below.

Multiple agencies are searching waters along southeastern North Carolina for a boater who hasn’t seen since Saturday, April, 6, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The missing man has been identified as Jeffrey Kale, 47, of Clover, South Carolina. Clover is about a 30-mile drive southwest from Charlotte in York County.

Searchers are focusing on the stretch of coast between Blackjack and Steeples, which covers about seven miles, officials said.

Kale was “last seen around 4 p.m. Saturday, aboard a white 32-foot Cape Horn center-console boat departing the Southport Wildlife Boat Ramp,” the U.S. Coast Guard said.

“Watchstanders received a notification from Kale’s family stating he was overdue from a fishing trip around 10:30 p.m. (Saturday),” officials said.

The Coast Guard is using boats and aircraft in its search and is covering areas frequented by Kale during past fishing trips.

Southport is along the state’s Crystal Coast, just south of the Outer Banks.

This story was originally published April 8, 2024 at 5:24 AM with the headline "Boater from Charlotte area goes missing while fishing off North Carolina coast."