Eric Eder Missing Person Case

Mar 17, 2020

Jul 15, 2024

Eric

Eder

53

43

68 inches

185 lbs

White / Caucasian

Male

In the harsh and unforgiving environment of the Bering Sea, 43-year-old Eric Lawrence Eder, a seasoned fisherman with over two decades of experience, was lost to the waves on March 12, 2014. A resident of Redmond, Washington, he was working aboard the 87-foot fishing trawler, the F/V Seeker, approximately 10 miles northwest of Unimak Island, Alaska. Before 8:00 a.m. that Wednesday, in treacherous conditions with winds gusting at 35 mph and seas swelling to 8 to 10 feet, Eder went overboard. The air temperature was a frigid 23 degrees, while the water was a chilling 42 degrees, conditions in which survival is measured in mere minutes. At the time of the incident, Eder was reportedly wearing a bright green rain jacket and orange rain pants. The alarm was raised when the crew of a nearby vessel, the Seafreeze Alaska, relayed a call for help to the U.S. Coast Guard after the Seeker first broadcast a message about a man overboard. A coordinated search and rescue operation was swiftly launched, involving a Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter, the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley, and several other commercial fishing vessels that were in the vicinity. For 10 grueling hours, the search teams scoured a 64-square-mile area of the tempestuous sea, battling the elements in a desperate attempt to find any sign of Eder. Despite their exhaustive efforts, the search proved fruitless, and as night fell, the active search was suspended. The news of Eder's disappearance sent a wave of grief through his community. He was remembered as a well-liked and respected man, a loving husband to his wife, Adrienne, and a devoted father to their two young sons, one of whom was only five weeks old at the time. Having recently moved his family to Central Oregon, he had deep roots in the coastal town of Waldport, where he grew up. The inherent dangers of commercial fishing, a profession he had dedicated his life to, were well-known to those in his community, but this tragic event was a stark reminder of the perils faced by those who make their living from the sea. In the wake of the tragedy, there was a significant outpouring of support for his grieving family, a testament to the high regard in which he was held. The investigation into the circumstances of how he went overboard was to be conducted by the Coast Guard Sector Anchorage.

Mar 12, 2014

Unimak Island

Alaska

Aleutians East Borough

No

77621

Alaska State Troopers

Anchorage

Alaska

Anchorage Borough

99507

Malia Miller

Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager

5700 East Tudor Road, Alaska

9072695511

State

Law Enforcement

AK14020586

2014-03-12

Alaska State Troopers

8405

Brown

Brown

Brown

07/02/2026