Boat found adrift in remote coastal marsh had a body in it, NC sheriff says

A boat was found adrift west of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, and closer inspection revealed it was transporting a body, according to investigators.

The discovery was made by a passerby Saturday “in the marsh south of Wanchese,” the Dare County Sheriff’s Office reported in a Feb. 21 news release.

Deputies searched the boat and found a body that is believed to be 37-year-old Robert Tedrick Dough of Wanchese, N.C., officials said.

Dough was reported missing in early December and a reward of up to $3,500 was “offered for information leading to the investigation/arrest of the individual(s) involved in the case,” the sheriff’s office said. He was last seen in late November, media outlets report.

An official identification of the body and cause of death are pending.

The boat “appeared to belong” to Dough, officials said. Family members report he owned a 19-foot Jon boat, which was also missing.

Wanchese is on southern Roanoke Island, between the Croatan and Roanoke sounds. It is located about a 190-mile drive east from downtown Raleigh.

This story was originally published February 22, 2026 at 9:01 AM with the headline "Boat found adrift in remote coastal marsh had a body in it, NC sheriff says."