THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 20, 1997 TAG: 9702200136
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: COROLLA LENGTH: 68 lines
Fishermen have found the body of a 51-year-old Chesapeake man missing since Jan. 11 when a hunting boat was swamped in the choppy, near-freezing waters of Currituck Sound.
Three others, including two boys, died in the accident.
Two fishermen found the body of Phillip Boedker on Wednesday morning. The body was floating east of Mossey Island, about four miles southwest of where the boat sank.
Mossey Island is part of a chain of small marsh islands in the Currituck Sound.
Currituck County emergency personnel found Boedker's billfold with identification on his body, which was still clad in the gray-green camouflage slicker and hunting boots he wore the day of the accident.
Currituck County Spokesman John Mulvey said brothers Hope and Royce Beacham found Boedker about 1:15 a.m. Using a cellular phone on their boat, they notified Currituck authorities, Mulvey said.
Corolla Fire and Rescue Chief Marshall Cherry, Currituck County Sheriff's Deputy Aaron Wolf and four other firefighters pulled Boedker's body from shallow water.
Authorities were able to quickly identify the body because of a habit Boedker had, Cherry said.
``I called his wife, and she told me he never went anywhere without his wallet,'' Cherry said. ``A lot of times, hunters will leave their wallet and carry only a hunting license on them. But his billfold wasn't in the usual place. It was in a pocket in his waders.''
One of the five in the boat, Michael LaBounty of Moyock, was rescued after 14 hours in the water. The bodies of his son, Michael Jr., 8, and John Milton Melson, 33, of Coinjock, and his son, John Sidney Melson, 6, were recovered the next day.
LaBounty's chocolate labrador retriever, Winchester, is still missing.
Boedker's wife, Billie, said the recovery of her husband's body has brought sadness and relief. She got word of the recovery shortly after 1 p.m. through a phone call from Currituck County Emergency Services Director Donnie Beacham.
``Right now, when I got the phone call, it was like living the first call all over again,'' Boedker, 48, said, her voice quivering. ``Donnie was giving me the details, but all I could hear was that they had found him. Ever since the accident, we've known he was gone. But when Donnie called this afternoon, it really hit hard. But at least now we can give him the kind of funeral he deserves and begin to have some closure."
The men who discovered the body - Hope Beacham, 65, of Corolla, and Royce Beacham, 70, of Raleigh - were veterans of past rescue efforts although they were not involved in the search for Boedker. A watchful eye led to the discovery of the missing hunter's body.
``I was in the Coast Guard for 26 years, and retired as a chief warrant officer, doing search and rescue and recovery,'' Hope Beacham said. ``We were out trying to catch a few fish for dinner. But I had been aware of the recovery effort and was keeping an eye out, thinking he might be in the area. My brother is active in the Civil Air Patrol, so he's done this kind ofwork as well.''
Hope Beacham said the discovery brought a measure of satisfaction.
``The people in Currituck County who have worked so hard to find him have done a wonderful job,'' he said. ``I'm happy we were able to find him and bring the family some peace. It made my day.''
Scores of men and women had searched unsuccessfully for days for Boedker's body.
Funeral arrangements were pending Wednesday afternoon. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Phillip Boedker