Two of the three men whose bodies were recovered after their boat was found overturned at sea some seven miles northeast of Cape Ann on Thursday have been identified as Quincy residents.
The dead have been identified as:
Jia Fu Zheng, 38, of Quincy.
Daxiao Lin, 43, also of Quincy.
Jaime Liu, 42, of Litchfield, New Hampshire.
Still missing is Bin “Michael” Cai.
The Coast Guard suspended its search for the fourth person at 10:20 a.m. Friday morning.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of these boaters.” said Capt. Amy Florentino, commander, Coast Guard Sector Northern New England, in a prepared statement. “The decision to suspend a search and rescue case is one of the most difficult decisions I must make, but we want the public and especially Mr. Cai’s family that we did everything in our power to find them. The water temperature in New England at this time of the year dramatically reduces the survivability rate for anyone that enters the water, and we urge all boaters to keep the air and water temperatures in mind when planning their voyages this spring.”
Two of the boaters were found Thursday between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. by the cutter William Chadwick and transferred to shore in Gloucester by a crew from Station Gloucester. The third boater was found by a Coast Guard aircraft, according to a Coast Guard spokesperson at district headquarters in Boston. They were pronounced deceased by local medical examiners.
A relative told authorities that the four boaters departed Hampton Harbor in New Hampshire about 7:30 Wednesday morning in a 17-foot white center console vessel with a blue canopy and single outboard motor, according to the Coast Guard.
Their reported destination was fishing grounds near Jeffreys Ledge, approximately 50 miles offshore, and the family member told the Coast Guard they were due back at sunset. They were reported missing Wednesday at 11:45 p.m.
The Coast Guard said it used a last known position from a one of the men’s cell phones and their likely location off Jeffreys Ledge to develop its search area.
Coast Guard’s 27-hour search included an MH-60 helicopter and HC-144 airplane from Air Station Cape Cod, the cutters William Chadwick and Sitkinak, and crews from Stations Gloucester, Merrimack River and Portsmouth Harbor. The search covered more than 1,567 square nautical miles, the Coast Guard said.
An investigation will be conducted by the Coast Guard due to a death in the maritime environment greater than three miles from shore.
Anyone with any information about this case is asked to contact U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern New England at 207-767-0303.