Body Found Near Manchester-by-the-Sea May Be Linked to Boat Crash

Body Found Near Gale’s Ledge Linked to October Boat Crash

According to the Boston Globe, authorities think a corpse found in the water near Manchester-by-the-Sea over the weekend could belong to an individual who disappeared during a vessel collision earlier in the month.

The body was recovered shortly after 11 a.m. Sunday from the water near Gale’s Ledge, according to a statement from Essex District Attorney Paul F. Tucker’s office. Gale’s Ledge sits not far from Singing Beach, the site of an October 3 accident where a vessel struck rocks and spun out of control.

That crash left one man dead, another injured, and a third missing. James Wolcott, 37, of Hamilton, remained unaccounted for after the Coast Guard suspended its search the weekend following the collision.

Given the proximity to a fatal October 3rd boating incident which remains actively under investigation, it is suspected that the deceased individual may be the missing boater, Tucker’s office said in the statement.

Authorities stated that prosecutors will provide an update once the state medical examiner’s office formally identifies the body.

Coast Guard Searches for Missing Person After Boat Accident

On the afternoon of October 3, Wolcott, two other men, and a dog were boating off Manchester-by-the-Sea. Prior to 4:30 p.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Boston were alerted about a boat circling slowly near Singing Beach with nobody in sight on deck.

The two other men involved were Carl Potter, 67, of Beverly, and a 65-year-old man. Both were rescued and taken to area hospitals, where Potter was later pronounced dead. A dog found alive on the boat was safely reunited with its family.

Emergency crews launched extensive searches on October 3 and 4. Coast Guard aircraft flew over the area while state environmental police deployed side-scan sonar before the Coast Guard suspended the search on October 4.

It was a terrible accident, and we are in deep shock and sorrow, Charlie Wolcott, the missing man’s father, told the Globe the day after the crash.