Body of missing Virginia fisherman found off Hilton Head after empty boat reported
The body of a missing boater was found in the Port Royal Sound about eight miles off of Hilton Head Island Saturday, according to officials from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office.
Christopher Whisnant, 61, of Salem, Virginia, was identified as the fisherman who died Saturday, said deputy coroner Andrew McNeese with the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office. Whisnant had gone fishing that morning, McNeese said, near the Beaufort ‘45 Reef, an artificial reef in the area.
SCDNR got the call Saturday about a missing boater with a boat “doing circles” in the Port Royal Sound, said Greg Lucas, a spokesperson for the department. No one was onboard the boat when it was searched, Lucas said.
As they continued looking for the missing boater, they found Whisnant who was pulled from the water by the U.S. Coast Guard.
SCDNR is investigating the incident.
A cause of death for Whisnant has not been identified, and an autopsy is scheduled, McNeese said.
This story was originally published January 23, 2023 at 11:21 AM.
