Military

Body Found Off Florida: Feds Poised To Take Over Death Investigation

September 8, 2021Noelle Wiehe
Florida attorney Jim Evans found

Florida Fish and Wildlife agents hunt for missing diver Jim Evans, 50, Sunday, Sept. 5, 2021, about 30 nautical miles northeast of Daytona Beach. The body of the attorney was found three days later near Port Canaveral, Florida, about 50 nautical miles southwest of where he disappeared while diving for lobsters. US Coast Guard Southeast photo.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A recreational boater on Tuesday found the body of a missing Florida attorney, the US Coast Guard told Coffee or Die Magazine.


Jim Evans, 50, went missing Friday while diving for lobsters about 30 nautical miles northeast of Daytona Beach.  


Despite a maritime dragnet that lasted more than 100 hours and canvassed 5,297 square nautical miles of the Atlantic Ocean, federal, state, and local agencies couldn’t locate the man. 


Instead, a “good Samaritan” — a private citizen who assisted the government — discovered Evans’ body drifting about 8 miles southeast of Port Canaveral.


“The good Samaritan said they happened upon the body and then immediately notified the Coast Guard through Channel 16,” said Coast Guard Public Affairs Specialist 1st Class David Micallef


[ig_post url=”https://twitter.com/clairemetzwesh/status/1435406059838087170″ /]


Boaters rely on Channel 16 for distress, safety, and calling purposes when operating within US territorial waters.


Micallef said the unidentified boater notified Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville watch standers at 1:42 p.m. Tuesday, more than a day after authorities suspended the search for Evans.


The Coast Guard sortied a small boat crew to retrieve the body, which was brought to the Brevard County Medical Examiner’s Office.


The cause of death has not yet been determined. 


The US Coast Guard cutter Skipjack suspended the search for missing 50-year-old diver Jim Evans off Daytona Beach Monday. A boater found the body outside of the search area and contacted the USCG on VHF Channel 16. Image courtesy of US Coast Guard.

An autopsy is slated for Wednesday, but results might not be released until later, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. 


“He may not give a cause of death today, he may [delay] it based on waiting on toxicology results and any kind of tissue sample results or any of those things, because with the body having been in the water for multiple days, sometimes it takes a little while to come up with the exact cause,” said Deputy Tod Goodyear, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.


“The Coast Guard will be the investigating agency unless something was found in the autopsy that made it suspicious, then actually it would be the FBI, because we don’t have jurisdiction where he was actually diving, because he was way out supposedly off the coast,” he added.


Read Next: Inside the Coast Guard’s Mass Rescue of Stranded Ice Fishermen on Wisconsin’s Sturgeon Bay



Noelle Wiehe
Noelle Wiehe

Noelle is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die through a fellowship from Military Veterans in Journalism. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and interned with the US Army Cadet Command. Noelle also worked as a civilian journalist covering several units, including the 75th Ranger Regiment on Fort Benning, before she joined the military as a public affairs specialist.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
dear jack mandaville
Dear Jack: Which Historic Battle Would You Want To Witness?

Ever wonder how much Jack Mandaville would f*ck sh*t up if he went back in time? The American Revolution didn't even see him coming.

west point time capsule
West Point Time Capsule Yields Centuries-Old Coins

A nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that at first appeared to yield little more than dust contains hidden treasure, the US Military Academy said.

Ouija Board aircraft carrier
Low-Tech ‘Ouija Boards’ Have Helped Aircraft Carriers Operate for Decades

Since the 1920s, a low-tech tabletop replica of an aircraft carrier’s flight deck has been an essential tool in coordinating air operations.

Army vs. Navy mascot
The Navy Goat vs. the Army Mule: Mascot Origin Stories

For nearly as long as the Army-Navy football rivalry, the academies’ hoofed mascots have stared each other down from the sidelines. Here are their stories.

ukraine long-range weapon
Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Has Developed a Long-Range Weapon, a Day After Strike Deep Inside Russia

Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel the weapon was produced by Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries but gave no other details.

ambush
7 of the Best Movie Ambush Scenes of All Time

Ambushes make for great action scenes. Here are seven of the best to ever grace the big screen.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, with his daughter, center right, reportedly named Ju Ae, review the honor guard during their visit to the navy headquarter in North Korea
North Korea Launches Missile Toward Sea After US Flies Bomber During Drills

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the launch occurred Wednesday but gave no further details, such as how far the missile flew.

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
Contact Us
© 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved