Maryland Boater's Body Recovered Following 6-Month Search

MARYL — About six months after he vanished during a solo fishing trip, the body of a Maryland boater has been recovered.

Ernie Sigmon, 44, went missing from his 25-foot center console boat Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021 around 4 p.m. while fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. His last contact with family had been about an hour earlier that same day, authorities said.

His family said they reported him missing a few hours later when he did not return home.

Search crews, including local, state and federal agencies like the U.S. Coast Guard, eventually found his boat circling off Plum Point in Calvert County, but there was no sign of Sigmon.

In the Facebook group, Bring Ernie Home, his family confirmed that Sigmon's body was recovered Monday.

"After 173 days of this unimaginable tragedy, God has brought Ernie home to us. Our hope, faith, and strength has never been so extensively tested. Each and every day, we feel such a tremendous loss deep in our hearts. Ernie is so much more than a father, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, friend, boss, mentor; he was the one who supported so many of us to be the best version of our selves," Ernest Sigmon Jr., his father posted.

"Just when our hope and patience were waning, God answered our prayers to bring Ernie home. Our entire family is so thankful for your ideas and knowledge which helped us make great strides," he continued.

According to Southern Maryland News Net, an off-duty firefighter was in a boat when he spotted a Sigmon's body in the water near Cook Point in Dorchester County.

Police with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources responded and recovered Sigmon from the water.