Charles Jones Missing Person Case

Mar 20, 2019

Jun 17, 2024

Charles

Jones

55

46

71 inches

170 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

On the frigid morning of February 11, 2017, 46-year-old Charles Glendon Jones, a skilled and experienced fisherman, was aboard the F/V Destination, a 110-foot crab fishing vessel, in the treacherous waters of the Bering Sea. He, along with five other crewmen, had departed from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, heading towards St. Paul Island to deliver bait before commencing the snow crab season. The crew consisted of Captain Jeff Hathaway, Kai Hamik, Lawrence "Larry" O'Grady, Darrik Seibold, and Raymond Vincler. As they navigated the waters approximately 2.6 miles northwest of St. George Island, the vessel and its crew were suddenly and tragically lost to the sea. No mayday call was ever made, but a signal from the ship's emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) alerted the U.S. Coast Guard to the catastrophe at approximately 6:15 a.m. An extensive search and rescue operation was immediately launched by the Coast Guard, covering nearly 6,000 square miles over three days. Despite their exhaustive efforts, no survivors were found. Search crews discovered only a life ring bearing the vessel's name, the EPIRB, and an oil sheen on the water's surface, painting a grim picture of the vessel's final moments. The six men aboard the Destination were presumed to be dead. Several months later, in July 2017, the wreckage of the F/V Destination was located on the seafloor in about 250 feet of water by a NOAA research vessel, confirming the vessel had sunk. The discovery brought a somber closure to the search but opened a new chapter in understanding how such a tragedy could have occurred. A subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Coast Guard concluded that a combination of factors led to the sinking. The primary cause was determined to be the captain's decision to proceed through heavy freezing spray without ensuring the vessel had enough stability to withstand the significant ice accumulation. This buildup of ice, estimated to be hundreds of thousands of pounds, made the vessel dangerously top-heavy. The investigation also found that the boat was likely overloaded with crab pots, which were possibly heavier than the vessel's stability book accounted for. The loss of the F/V Destination and its entire crew serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the inherent dangers of commercial fishing in the unforgiving Bering Sea and prompted a renewed focus on safety protocols within the fishing fleet. The men, including Charles Glendon Jones, were all declared legally dead, their bodies never recovered from the depths.

Feb 11, 2017

St. George Island

Alaska

Aleutians West Census Area

No

48768

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

AK19017931

2017-02-11

Alaska State Troopers

9491

Brown

Blue

Blue

07/16/2026