The remains of a family who went missing during a 2024 vacation have been found inside a sunken boat in Alaska that capsized during the victims' trip.
The report was released by the Alaska Dive, Search, Rescue, and Recovery Team. The Central Texas family was reported missing after the boat they were traveling on capsized off the coast of Homer, Alaska, in August 2024.
Texas Family's Remains Found in Sunken Boat
The parents were identified as David and Mary Maynard, who were with their two young sons during the trip. The incident happened roughly 16 miles west of Homer, Alaska. Authorities said there were a total of eight people on the boat and that a Good Samaritan vessel was able to rescue four of them.
The U.S. Coast Guard conducted an active search and rescue for the family of four in August 2024 but it was suspended after there were no sightings. The team then tried to use sonar equipment to determine the location of the capsized boat but the initial search was not fruitful, according to Fox7Austin.
The Wildlife Troopers then decided to enter the parents and their two sons, 11-year-old Colton Maynard and eight-year-old Brantley Maynard as missing persons. Support Vessels of Alaska, Vision Subsea, and Benthic Geoscience Inc. contacted the Alaska Wildlife Troopers in April 2025.
They offered to provide access to their tools so that the Wildlife Troopers could continue their search for the missing boat and the Maynard family in Kachemak Bay. The group was able to locate the vessel in early May in 180 feet of water.
They used a remotely operated vehicle to confirm that the vessel they found was actually the missing boat that had the Maynard family. Volunteers and the Alaska Wildlife Troopers then conducted dive operations on Tuesday and Wednesday to recover three sets of human remains, ABC News reported.
Search for the Fourth Set of Human Remains
The human remains were then transported to the Alaska State Medical Examiner's Office for positive identification and autopsy. The volunteer search teams were still looking for a fourth set of human remains of the other family member.
Christi Wells, who gave out a statement on behalf of Mary Maynard's parents at the time of the first search attempts, said that the family enjoyed spending time together with friends and other family members.
The mother was a traveling nurse and the father was the one who stayed at home and took care of the children and their lawn care business. A friend of the family, Cassandra Martin, said that she was devastated when she first learned about the news, as per CBS News.
