By LEDEDRA MARCHE

Senior FN Reporter

lededra@nasguard.com

Tragedy struck a West End family just before noon on Monday when a boating trip went awry for a father of two, marring the Emancipation Day holiday.

While details were still sketchy up to press time, according to Assistant Superintendent Clarence Reckley, officer in charge of West Grand Bahama District, around 12:00 p.m. police received a call from Old Bahama Bay about a concerned boater who reported seeing what looked like someone being thrown from a boat some 20 miles northeast of Memory Rock.

Additionally, the concerned resident revealed, the boat was circling out of control and they were requesting assistance.

Officers from West End police station went to Old Bahama Bay to get additional information and they met with a gentleman from the Blue Marlin Marina, who indicated that his son was with two other persons who went fishing in the area where the incident is believed to have taken place.

As a result, the man offered to assist the police out to the area where officers met two men on-board a 22-foot Mako boat that was sitting in the water.

The vessel had a single 250-horsepower Yamaha engine.

Turns out, the boater's son was among the three West End residents on the fishing trip but he was not the deceased.

ASP Reckley revealed that visitors in the area had rendered some assistance and, in talking with the individuals regarding what had transpired, the men indicated that they were in the water diving when they felt a sudden tug on the rope and realized the boat was going around in circles.

The boat was reportedly circling them for quite a while before it eventually ran out of gas.

One of the divers explained that when he did surface, the driver of the boat was no where to be found. They were then able to get on-board the boat and searched for the driver but to no avail.

"As a result, the officer and the other persons searched the area and eventually they found the body of the individual," ASP Reckley told The Freeport News.

There were visible signs of trauma to the victim's head which police suspect would have come from the propeller of the boat.

The West Ender's body was retrieved from the water and brought into Old Bahama Bay.

The male was pronounced dead by the doctor at the clinic and his body was transported to the Rand Memorial Hospital.

"As I indicated, this matter is still under active investigation," ASP Reckley said, adding that police were withholding the identity of the deceased.

"This is still in process now," he said. "Officers from the Criminal Detective Unit would have accompanied the body to the morgue. Officers from CDU and our Victim Support Unit are meeting with the family as we speak to get additional information."

Family members were overcome with grief and disbelief and were present when the body of the West End resident was taken away in a hearse.

The deceased was described by residents who knew him as a loving, hardworking father of two who loved his children.