Star of ‘Wicked Tuna’ found dead on NC shore, crews say. Search for another boater ends

UPDATE: The U.S. Coast Guard in a March 5 news release identified the deceased boater as 65-year-old Capt. Charlie “Griff” Griffin. He was known for his role on the TV show “Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks.”

“Charlie was known to all as a spirited fisherman with a big heart,” the show wrote in a Facebook post. “We join Charlie’s family, fellow cast members, and friends in mourning his untimely loss.”

The Coast Guard also said it suspended its search for the missing boater, 36-year-old Chad Dunn.

The original story is below.

A boater and a dog were found dead along the Outer Banks shore as the search for a second boater continues.

The U.S. Coast Guard said it’s using boats and a helicopter to try to find the person along the North Carolina coast. The agency also is partnering with the National Park Service for shoreline search efforts.

“Anytime we’re going out, anytime when it comes to search and rescue, our goal is always to hopefully bring somebody back home and reunite them with their friends and family,” Petty Officer 1st Class Jonathan Lally, a Coast Guard spokesperson, told McClatchy News in a March 5 phone interview.

The search started after the 30-foot pleasure boat called “Good Run” was reported overdue late March 3. It had been scheduled to travel between Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Wanchese, North Carolina, for repairs but its last communication was near the popular coastal town of Nags Head, according to the Coast Guard.

Crews started looking for the vessel on land, air and water before life jackets, seat cushions and other debris were spotted. The discovery was reported about 2 miles south of the Oregon Inlet, which lies near the Outer Banks barrier islands.

Then, a dead dog and an unresponsive person were found along a beach. The person, believed to be one of the missing boaters, was pronounced dead, officials said.

The Coast Guard didn’t share the person’s identity with McClatchy News. But several news outlets have cited a Facebook post in their reports that the person who died is Charlie Griffin, who appeared on the show “Wicked Tuna.”

As of about 9:30 a.m. March 5, the Coast Guard didn’t share additional details about what may have caused the boat to come to shore. The search for the second boater was ongoing as the National Weather Service predicts rain in the forecast.

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