SEARCH FOR MISSING VESSEL ENDS IN TRAGEDY

DAUPHIN ISLAND Ala.
December 1, 2024

The U.S. Coast Guard has found the missing vessel that left Dauphin Island over the weekend and sadly recovered two bodies.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Sam Wooley, Michael Slezak, and his son, Hunter, went missing around 7:00 Friday night.

Officials say their 20 foot boat, the “Marty Ann,” launched out of Billy Goat Hole on Dauphin Island.

The Coast Guard says their boat was last seen shrimping in Pelican Bay.

After a long search through the night and into Saturday, Dauphin Island Police say Wooley and Slezak were found dead about 8 to 9 miles southwest of Dauphin Island.

But Police say the search continues for Slezak’s son, Hunter.

Michael Slezak was the head baseball coach at Semmes Middle School and, according to the school’s website, a 7-th grade math teacher.

The Coast Guard says it has deployed the help of several federal, state, and local agencies, both in the skies and in the water, including, in addition to the Coast Guard, ALEA, Lower Alabama Search and Rescue, Civil Air Patrol and Dauphin Island Police as they continue to search for Slezak’s son.

The USCG is still searching for a vessel that was on its way to Pelican Bay to do some shrimping but has now been missing for two days.