The group was last seen departing on a boat together from Dauphine Island on Friday, Nov. 29
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A 7-year-old boy is missing and two people have been found dead following a boating trip in Alabama.
The search for Hunter Slezak, 7, has been suspended after two bodies, identified as his father Michael Slezak, 40, and his friend Sam Wooley, 69, were recovered south of Dauphine Island, Ala., on Sunday, Dec. 1, the U.S. Coast Guard stated in a release.
The 7-year-old had joined his father Michael and his friend on the vessel, the Marty Ann, before it departed the Billy Goat Hole Boat Ramp on Friday, Nov. 29, according to the release.
“Friday evening, watchstanders from Coast Guard Sector Mobile received a report of an overdue vessel, the MARTY ANN, with three people on board,” the U.S. Coast Guard said, per the release. The boat was “last heard from on Friday afternoon.”
A search for the trio covering “more than 2,042 square miles” was conducted by sea and air involving the Aviation Training Center Mobile HC-144 aircrew and response boat crews.
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On Saturday, Nov. 30, per the release, the U.S. Coast Guard Station Dauphin Island boat crew came across a “debris field approximately 9 miles” south of Dauphin Island and searched the area where they found the bodies of the two adult males.
“We are deeply saddened and offer our sincerest condolences to the families, friends and communities affected by this heartbreaking and tragic incident,” Capt. Robert Tucker, Coast Guard Sector Mobile, Deputy Commander said in the release.
“Suspending an active search for a missing child is an exceptionally difficult decision and is only made after the most exhaustive efforts have occurred. We thank all the search and rescue crews who worked with determination around the clock with hopes of a different outcome.”
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Hunter Slezak.
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Michael was a teacher and coach at Semmes Middle School. In a tribute posted on Facebook, it wrote that “the Semmes Middle School family suffered a great loss over the break. Coach Michael Slezak was a beloved teacher and coach who touched so many lives with kindness, wisdom, and dedication.”
“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all those who were fortunate enough to learn from and be inspired by such an incredible individual,” the school added. “Coach Slezak will always be remembered, and his legacy will continue to live on in each of us.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the Slezak family to raise money for funeral costs. The page so far has received over $50,700 in donations.