(PatriotWise.com) — TV fisherman Charlie Griffin was found dead off the coast of the Outer Banks last week after he and another man went missing aboard his boat Reels of Fortune as it was en route to North Carolina on Sunday, March 3, the Los Angeles Times reported.
According to a March 5 statement from the US Coast Guard, Griffin, his dog Leila, and 36-year-old Chad Dunn set off from Virginia Beach and were on their way to Pirate’s Cove Marina in Manteo, North Carolina, for repairs when they failed to arrive.
The Coast Guard confirmed that the 65-year-old Griffin, who starred in the National Geographic series “Wicked Tuna,” and his dog were found on Monday, March 4, near the Oregon Inlet in the Outer Banks.
However, the Coast Guard called off the search for Chad Dunn, who remained missing.
Commander Corrie Sergent, the Deputy of the US Coast Guard’s North Carolina sector, said the Coast Guard conducted 12 search patterns over 41 hours, covering about 400 miles by sea, air, and on the shore, hoping to find Chad Dunn.
Cmd. Sergent described calling off the search as “one of the hardest decisions” to make and said that the Coast Guard offered its “deepest condolences” to the friends and family of Griffin and Dunn.
The Wicked Tuna Facebook page announced Griffin’s death last Monday, saying he and his dog died “in a boating accident.”
In a joint statement to the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic and “Wicked Tuna” producer Pilgrim Media Group expressed their condolences to Griffin’s family and friends, describing the star as a “spirited fisherman with a big heart.”
According to the statement, the shipwreck was unrelated to “Wicked Tuna.”
Known by the nickname “Griff,” Charlie Griffin appeared in four seasons of “Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks.”
In a promotional video for the series, Griffin said he began fishing the Outer Banks as a young boy and described his experiences fishing with his son Jake, who served as his first mate aboard Reels of Fortune.
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