Crime & Safety

Search Suspended For Missing Gaston County Fishermen

The two men were missing near Oak Island after going out on a fishing vessel last Sunday.

OAK ISLAND, NC — Authorities have suspended the search for two fishermen missing near Oak Island since last Sunday whose boat was found on Friday.

The two missing men were identified as Steve Chaney and David Hambrick , of Gaston County. The Coast Guard, along with the Navy and other agencies, searched an area of over 33,000 miles.

The two men left on a 22-foot fishing vessel around 11:30 a.m. last Sunday from Oak Island. One of the men's spouses contacted the Coast Guard when the two did not return by dark as expected.

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"After an exhaustive search on the water and from the air over the past week, we made the difficult decision to stop searching on Saturday evening," Rear Adm. Meredith Austin, commander, 5th Coast Guard District, said in a statement. "We have been in close contact with the families, and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time."

Image via US Coast Guard

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