Body of missing SC diver found one week after search was suspended
Authorities on Sunday recovered the body of a diver who went missing in the Port Royal Sound nearly two weeks ago, and a week after most agencies called off the search for him, according to officials.
The body of Alan Devier, 49, was discovered on Bay Point Island around 3:30 p.m. Sunday, according to David Lucas, regional public information coordinator for S.C. Department of Natural Resources.
He said the person was identified as Devier, a Charleston-based diver who often hunted for shark teeth in the Beaufort area.
The coroner has notified his family, according to Lucas.
Beaufort County Coroner Ed Allen declined to comment at the request of Devier’s family.
An autopsy is scheduled at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston on Wednesday.
Two recreational boaters found the body washed up on the beach of the Port Royal Sound’s undeveloped barrier island and called 911, Lucas said, but it took several hours to remove it, as Devier was found in an area inaccessible to boats.
He said Devier was found wearing diving equipment.
It was the second time Devier had gone missing in the Port Royal Sound in less than two months. Devier’s disappearance prompted a massive search, and an online fundraising effort fueled by the worldwide community of fossil hunters and friends of Devier.
