Five days after an 18-year-old Havre de Grace boater went missing on the Susquehanna River, searchers are shifting tactics as they work to find him.
What’s happening: Maryland Natural Resources Police are leading the search for 18-year-old Mark Everett Coates III, who was last seen operating a 10-foot jon boat on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 4. As of Monday morning, search teams moved away from dive operations and toward surface searches using patrol boats, drones, and aircraft.
What changed: Sunday’s search ended without finding Coates. Starting Monday, dive teams are no longer the primary method. Patrol vessels, drones, and aircraft are now leading the effort. Searchers may return to side-scan sonar — an underwater imaging tool — if new leads develop.
For volunteers: People who want to search on their own are no longer restricted from the stretch of water between the Tydings Memorial Bridge, which carries I-95, and the Amtrak Bridge. That area had previously been limited to official search teams.
The search area: The effort is focused on the Susquehanna River near Havre de Grace. Agencies involved include Maryland Natural Resources Police, Maryland State Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Baltimore City Fire Department, Baltimore County Police, Baltimore Police, Maryland Transportation Authority Police, Delaware State Police, the New Castle County dive team, Middle River Volunteer Fire & Rescue’s dive team, Susquehanna Hose Company, Chesapeake Search Dogs, and Search and Rescue Dogs of Maryland.
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