Coast Guard suspends search for man missing since Saturday off Daufuskie Island
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for a man missing off of Daufuskie Island on Sunday afternoon.
Craig Lamonte Jones, 51, was seen by witnesses jumping into the water at approximately 7:50 a.m. Saturday from a dock near Melrose Landing Road, according to an alert from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office has now taken the lead on the search for Jones, according to a spokesperson, Maj. Bob Bromage. The Sheriff’s Office had divers and boats searching for Jones Sunday.
Jones was last seen wearing a blue shirt and blue shorts, according to the press release. He is Black, 6 foot 1 and 200 pounds. He is bald and possibly has a goatee.
“The Coast Guard, along with partner agencies, used all available assets and means to search for Mr. Jones in the Cooper River yesterday,” Lt. j.g. Allison Rychtanek, a search and rescue controller for Sector Charleston Command Center, said. “Due to the nature of the waterway and the duration of daytime searches, the Coast Guard, unfortunately, had to suspend its search, pending any further developments.”
The Coast Guard searched approximately 10 hours for Jones in a search area that stretched more than 20 square nautical miles, according to the press release.
A search party was back out at 8 a.m. Sunday searching for Jones and was still searching at 3:30 p.m., according to William Towne from Beaufort Water Search and Rescue. If Jones is not found Sunday, then search parties will go back out Monday, Towne said.
The Department of Natural Resources, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol Unit, and Daufuskie Island Fire Department personnel are also searching.
If anyone has information, they are encouraged to call the Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (843)524-2777.
