On a day that began with calm and sunny weather, January 25, 1986, 17-year-old Mitchell David Zimny and two of his friends, embarked on what was meant to be a short excursion off the coast of Anacortes, Washington. The three high school juniors set out in a borrowed, homemade 10-foot white aluminum boat, heading towards Young Island, a mere mile and a half away. Mitchell was wearing a bright yellow sweatshirt, jeans, white tennis shoes, and a red baseball hat.
He was recognizable by a surgical scar on his right knee, where an orthopedic nail had been placed after a previous break. The boys were last seen near Fidalgo Island, but they never returned to shore.
The disappearance of the three teenagers prompted an immediate search effort. Despite the initially fair weather, the small boat with its 7.5-horsepower engine was venturing into unpredictable waters. The search yielded a single, heartbreaking clue: one of the boat's oars was discovered on the south side of Burrows Island. No other trace of the boys or the white aluminum skiff has ever been found. Tragically, the sea had claimed members of Mitchell's family before; his older brother had been lost on a commercial fishing vessel off the coast of Alaska just months prior in November 1985. The United States Coast Guard searched for the boys for days before the official search was called off.
Authorities from the Skagit County Sheriff's Office have long held the presumption that the three boys drowned in a tragic accident at sea. All three were juniors in high school at the time of their disappearance. The case remains an open and painful chapter for the families and the Anacortes community. Decades have passed, but the absence of Mitchell Zimny and his friends serves as a somber reminder of the power of the ocean and the lingering sorrow of a mystery that has never been fully resolved. The official investigation remains open, a cold case held by the Skagit County Sheriff's Office, with the hope that one day, new information might bring closure.Last Seen: Jan 25, 1986
