The remains of two crew members who were missing from the capsized Miss Destinee last week were located in the cabin of the boat when it was recovered Tuesday.
Siblings Joshua and Abigail Osbourne, ages 18 and 22, went missing near Kodiak Island, Alaska, when the Miss Destinee capsized in the early morning of June 29. According to Alaska State Troopers, the boat was on its way to Kodiak when it was hit by a rogue wave on the port side, “causing it to lay over and eventually roll to the starboard side.”
Two others — including skipper Kyle Mead — were in the wheelhouse when the wave struck and were able to exit the boat and cling to the skiff, which had floated to the top of the deck of the Miss Destinee, according to reports.
A Coast Guard 38-foot smallboat crew from Aids to Navigation Team Kodiak, Alaska, approaches the capsized Miss Destinee during a search for missing crew members. U.S. Coast Guard photo.
A nearby fishing vessel rescued Mead and the other crewman who had been in the wheelhouse. Rescue personnel from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak hoisted the two to a helicopter and transported them back to Kodiak. Weather conditions at the time were reported as having winds of 20 mph with 10-foot seas and rain diminishing visibility to two miles.
Coast Guard helicopter crews joined the cutter Sherman and the Chandeleur, a buoy tender, as well as para-rescueman from the Alaska Air National Guard, in searching a 15- by 10-mile area in Marmot Bay for more than 35 hours before suspending the search the following night
“We and our fellow military partners and the good Samaritans have heavy hearts after an extensive and difficult search in Marmot Bay,” said Capt. Sean Mackenzie, commander of Coast Guard Sector Anchorage, in a release when the search was called off. “We conducted this search-and-rescue mission as if two of our own shipmates became missing. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the man and woman still missing.”
According to Alaska State Troopers, a salvage company was able to right the Miss Destinee and pump her out before towing the vessel to Kodiak harbor Tuesday. State troopers, members of the Kodiak City Fire Department and Coast Guard officials responded to the boat and located and recovered the bodies of the Osbournes inside the vessel. Both bodies were transported to the state medical examiner’s officer for autopsy.
According to a website memorializing the Osbournes, Joshua and Abigail were the two youngest members of their family and had just recently started working on the Miss Destinee.
"This has been an incredibly difficult road for the family and the amazing support of friends, loved ones, and even virtual strangers across the nation has truly been a source of comfort," wrote the family. "Your continued prayers are greatly appreciated."
A memorial service has been scheduled for Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Summit Worship Center, located at 125 W. Riley Ave. in Wasilla, Alaska. Cards for the Osborne family may be sent to the Matanuska Assembly of God church located at 865 W. Auklet Ave., Palmer, AK, 99645.
Two online donation pages have been set-up for the family on Meal Train and GoFundMe.
