Coast Guard suspends search for two Charleston area fishermen

The Coast Guard has suspended its search for two Charleston area men who were last seen Wednesday when they went fishing and their boat was found the following day 10 miles east of Bulls Bay in Charleston County, officials said late Sunday.

Officials had searched an 11,655-square-mile area and conducted 50 search patters over more than three days, which included portions of the ocean near Myrtle Beach, for the two fishermen before they suspended the search, according to a Coast Guard news release.

The search was suspended about 7:30 p.m. Sunday for Joseph McFadden, 77, and Michael Lawrence, 61, both of North Charleston, Coast Guard officials said. The men were overdue from their fishing trip on Wednesday evening and were reported missing Thursday morning.

They had gone fishing Wednesday near the Charleston Jetties. Their truck and boat trailer were found at Remley’s Point, which is in Mount Pleasant.

“Suspending a search is a truly difficult decision,” said Capt. Gary Tomasulo, the commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector Charleston. “We pride ourselves in rescuing survivors to reunite them with their loved ones. We take into account various different factors when making this decision, so it is never one that is made easily. Our search is suspended, pending any new and reliable information. We understand this is a difficult time for the families and we offer our thoughts and prayers to them.”

Coast Guard crews from Charleston, Savannah, Ga.; Clearwater, Fla.; Elizabeth City, N.C., and Georgetown participated in the search.

Other agencies involved in the search included crews from the North Charleston Police Department, Mount Pleasant Police Department, Charleston County Sheriff’s Office and the state Department of Natural Resources.

On Monday, Coast Guard and other officials, in a separate incident, ended a search for four other boaters who were overdue to return to a Mount Pleasant boat landing, officials said. Two adults and two children were found Monday in stable condition.

Coast Guard officials said they were searching for four overdue boaters about 13 miles off the Charleston shore after a spouse of one boater reported the group did not return home as expected Sunday evening.

The Coast Guard Sector Charleston command center was notified Sunday night that the boaters had sent a text message detailing their intended destination for a fishing trip, however the boaters had not been heard from or returned as expected, officials said in a news release. Mount Pleasant Police officers found the owner’s vehicle and boat trailer at Remley's Point Public Boat Landing.

The four boaters were on a 23-foot white Mako called the Shock-A-Con.

Brian Judy, 39, Kenny Winningham, 40, and two 11-year-old boys were reported to be in stable condition Monday after they were rescued from their capsized boat about 12 miles off the Charleston coast.

This story was originally published July 13, 2015 at 11:27 AM with the headline "Coast Guard suspends search for two Charleston area fishermen."