Boy missing after search for boat finds debris and bodies off Alabama, Coast Guard says
The search for a 7-year-old boater who vanished under mysterious circumstances off Alabama has been suspended by the U.S. Coast Guard, but his family has vowed to keep looking.
USCG crews covered more than 2,042 square miles in the Gulf of Mexico but failed to find any sign of Hunter Slezak, according to a Dec. 1 news release.
Hunter was aboard the Marty Ann with two adults when the boat was reduced to debris Friday, Nov. 29, officials said.
Bodies of the two men have been recovered.
“The vessel reportedly departed from the Billy Goat Hole Boat Ramp on Dauphin Island and was last heard from on Friday afternoon,” the USCG reports.
“Saturday afternoon, a Coast Guard Station Dauphin Island boat crew found a debris field approximately 9 miles south of Dauphin Island. The boat crew searched the area and located Sam Wooley, 69, and Michael Slezak, 40, deceased.”
Officials say the search ended at dusk Sunday, Dec. 1, after aircraft and boats covered an area “approximately the size of the state of Delaware.”
The USCG has yet to offer ideas as to what caused the Marty Ann to disintegrate during a family excursion.
“Suspending an active search for a missing child is an exceptionally difficult decision and is only made after the most exhaustive efforts have occurred,” Capt. Robert Tucker of Coast Guard Sector Mobile said in the release.
A civilian search party was organized on Sunday to continue looking for Hunter, according to Meg Slezak, who identified herself as his mother. Michael Slezak was her husband.
“I just need the closure of having (Hunter’s) body to bury. I didn’t think my heart could shatter anymore (than) this, but not ... being able to find my son’s body is so incredibly painful,” Meg Slezak wrote in a Facebook post. “This is the worst pain ever.”
Scarborough Model Middle School in Mobile, Alabama, reports Michael Slezak was its Teacher of the Year in the 2020-21 school year and taught seventh grade math from 2017 to 2023.
“He initiated our Baseball Program, developed a practice area, and coached the team to the playoffs. He was instrumental in our Project SMART program where he taught archery and math,” the school wrote in a Dec. 1 Facebook post.
“He arrived at work at 6 am, stayed late and rarely missed a day. He worked Saturday School and Summer School,” the school wrote. “Coach Slezak was dedicated to SMMS.”
This story was originally published December 2, 2024 at 7:28 AM with the headline "Boy missing after search for boat finds debris and bodies off Alabama, Coast Guard says."