David Charles Whitehair, also referred to in some reports as David Whitehair Jr., was 17 years old when he went missing from the Felton, Delaware area on April 23, 2010. NamUs lists him as David Charles Whitehair, missing person case MP7872, with Felton as the location connected to his disappearance and April 23, 2010, as the date of last contact.
The available public information indicates that David disappeared during a boating incident in Delaware Bay near Port Mahon in Kent County,
Delaware. A Delaware State Police news release, republished online, stated that David and his father, 40-year-old David Whitehair of Felton, had reportedly planned to take a chartered fishing trip, but the trip was canceled because of poor weather. According to that account, David’s father decided to go out on his own recently purchased boat and took his 17-year-old son with him. They were last reported seen at approximately 5:00 p.m. on April 23, 2010.
The next day, April 24, 2010, an overturned 16- to 18-foot vessel was spotted in the Delaware Bay near Port Mahon. Responders included the U.S. Coast Guard, Little Creek Fire Company, the Delaware State Police Dive Team, and Delaware Natural Resources and Environmental Control Fish and Wildlife personnel. When the boat was located, no occupants were found, and a search-and-rescue operation began. ABC7 reported that the capsized fishing boat had a net tangled in its propeller, and that no one was located during the initial search.
David’s father was later recovered from the Delaware Bay; an obituary published in the Delaware State News through Legacy states that David Whitehair of Felton died on May 2, 2010. That obituary also names his son, David Whitehair Jr., among those who had preceded him in death, reflecting the family’s profound loss after the boating incident.
Public missing-person summaries continue to state that David Charles Whitehair’s body has not been recovered. The available descriptions identify him as a white male with red or auburn hair and blue eyes, approximately 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing about 175 to 190 pounds. Reported distinguishing features include pierced ears, a fair complexion with freckles, a faint burn scar on his right cheek, and a tattoo extending from his right shoulder to his right elbow depicting a dream catcher with the words “Cherokee Pride.”
David’s case remains a painful example of a family tragedy tied to dangerous conditions on the water. The public record describes a father and son who set out together, an overturned boat found without them aboard, an extensive emergency response, and, ultimately, a young man whose remains have not been recovered. The case is associated with the Delaware State Police Headquarters and NamUs missing person case MP7872.Last Seen: Apr 23, 2010
