The Merrimack Takes Another

[Slipknot]

Sad

maybe there is more to the story though

Site Where Boat Crashed Now Crime Scene
Coast Guard Searching For Missing Man

POSTED: 12:10 pm EDT June 25, 2009
UPDATED: 12:29 pm EDT June 25, 2009
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BOSTON -- The Coast Guard resumed its search Thursday for a man who has been missing since his boat struck a jetty off the coast of Salisbury.

NewsCenter 5's Todd Kazakiewich reported that searchers said the captain of the 36-foot boat may still be alive. Late Wednesday night, shortly after the three survivors were brought back to shore and interviewed by police, it became clear that it may be more than a mere boating accident.

"We have some information that we're working on, and we shifted it from a simple rescue to crime scene. That's all we're going to say about that right now," Salisbury Police Department Chief David L'Esperance said.

By the time rescuers arrived, the boat was submerged. Two men were stranded on the North Jetty at the mouth of the Merrimack, one with a broken leg, and a third man was in the river. A fourth man -- the captain and Coast Guard veteran in his mid-30s -- was missing. His name has not been released.

Mark Baillargeon, 51, of Newmarket, N.H., was taken to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport with a back injury. Jacob Clark, 30, Hampton, N.H, was rescued from the river by the Coast Guard. He did not need treatment. Russell Hilliard, 50, of Hampton Falls, N.H. was also uninjured.

Officials said facts and circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation, including who was piloting the boat, whether alcohol was involved and the speed of the craft.

"Four gentlemen left Hampton at about 8:30 p.m.," L'Esperance said. "They became somewhat disoriented and, perhaps, crashed into the jetty."

Rough waters that not only contributed to the boating accident, but also hampered the rescue effort. By late Thursday morning, the waters had calmed down enough for divers to go in.

"There's a lot of debris from the storms. There's a lot of debris from the boat itself. That was part of the problem last night. We didn't put divers in the water last night. There was too much debris and too much risk to (another) life," said Thomas Howard of the Newburyport Police Department.