‘Tyler Strong’: Prayer vigil held in Little River for missing SC boater Tyler Doyle

Hundreds gathered at the T. Craig Campbell boat landing in Little River Sunday evening to hold a prayer vigil for missing South Carolina boater Tyler Doyle.

Doyle, of Loris, went missing after duck hunting in a 16-foot jon boat with a friend at the Little River jetties around 4 p.m. on Jan. 26.

The search has captured the attention of thousands over social media nationwide.

“From the bottom of our heart, every family member thanks everybody for what they’ve done, from the smallest to the greatest thing that’s been done, we want the public to know that we are grateful,” Linda Doyle, a grandmother, told The Sun News in an exclusive interview.

‘Tyler Strong’

At the vigil, several wore shirts depicting Doyle and his wife, Lakelyn Doyle. Some shirts had the words, “Tyler Strong,” on them, as well.

Community members brought food to the event, including pizza, sodas, macaroni and cheese and chicken bog.

Dogwood Hill Baptist Church in Loris hosted the vigil alongside Grand Strand Outdoors and Duchess Discussions, an online creator who has been an advocate for the search online.

“We haven’t seen any evidence of death, so we are still gonna claim life,” Pastor Jimmy Floyd said.

He added that in the 12 years of being a pastor at Dogwood Hill Baptist Church, he had never seen the community react in such a way.

“I’ve never seen more outpouring of love, through all of this,” he said.

Multi-agency search continues in North Carolina and South Carolina

According to South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the leading agency, a 911 call on the day Tyler went missing initiated the search. Since then, Brunswick County, N.C., Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and nonprofit Wings of Hope have joined the search.

No foul play is suspected, according to SCDNR.

Weather conditions and boating mechanical issues are the predominant contributing factors in the investigation, the department has said.

It was announced by family members at the vigil that the U.S. Civil Air Patrol joined the search on Sunday as well.

Jill Hardee, a friend of the Doyles, was present with her family at the vigil. She said that Tyler’s disappearance had been “very tough” on everyone, and she said she hopes the family will get closure soon.

The North Myrtle Beach Rescue Squad, a volunteer organization that was initially involved with the search, was present as well. Volunteers with the group had been searching for about eight to 10 days before officially calling off their own search.

Lance Barnes, boat captain with the North Myrtle Beach Rescue Squad, said that the organization would aid in the search when another agency calls for it.

“Just trying to bring that family some sort of closure,” he said.

At the end of the vigil, several friends of Doyle gathered near the boat landing and performed duck calls, as a way to call Tyler back home.

SCDNR said that the search would continue alongside the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office as long as the weather holds up. Another update from officials is expected Tuesday.

This story was originally published February 19, 2023 at 8:49 PM.