UPDATE 11/14/2025 @12:45 p.m.- The missing boater has been confirmed by friends to be Lonnie Johnson, owner of @geyejigs. He went to fish around the radar towers near Chesapeake Beach, Calvert County, MD. There have been no new updates from the Natural Resources Police or U.S. Coast Guard at this time.
TAYLORS ISLAND, Md. — Emergency crews from multiple agencies scoured Slaughter Creek near Taylors Island on Friday morning for a missing boater whose unoccupied vessel was found adrift in Dorchester County waters.
The incident unfolded around 8:53 a.m. November 14, 2025, with initial reports pinpointing the area off Feather Lane in the Tilghman section of Talbot County. Responders, including units from Tilghman fire and EMS at station 70, Oxford at 20, St. Michaels at 40, medics, Cambridge Rescue Fire Company engine 1, Neck District at 31 and Maryland State Police Aviation Trooper 6, mobilized quickly. The call described an empty boat with indications of a person possibly in the water.
By 9:25 a.m., the situation evolved. The vessel’s location shifted south into Dorchester County, near Taylors Island, where Trooper 6 and the Tilghman boat crew reached the site in Slaughter Creek. Crews secured the still-running boat for towing, but the operator remained unaccounted for. Further details linked the case to a Chesapeake Beach resident in Calvert County who had been missing for 14 hours. Friends conducting their own search traced the boater’s phone signal to the vicinity, leading them to the craft. The individual was absent when they arrived.
Maryland Natural Resources Police assumed lead on the operation, with the U.S. Coast Guard providing support. As of late morning, no updates on the boater’s whereabouts emerged, and search efforts persisted amid cool fall conditions on the Chesapeake Bay tributaries.
The response highlighted coordinated efforts across county lines, a common protocol for waterway incidents in the region. Talbot and Dorchester counties, both flanking the Eastern Shore’s waterways, rely on inter-agency mutual aid for such calls. Natural Resources Police, as the state’s primary enforcers for boating and natural resources, handle investigations and searches on public waters. Their officers patrol the Chesapeake and its inlets, enforcing safety rules while leading rescues. In this case, the handover to Natural Resources Police followed standard procedure for incidents extending beyond initial local response.
Trooper 6, the State Police aviation unit based in Easton, played a key aerial role, scanning the marshy terrain and open water where visibility can drop due to fog or vegetation. Ground and water units from volunteer fire departments, like Tilghman’s station 70, provided boats and personnel familiar with local channels. Cambridge’s engine 1 and Neck District’s 31 covered medical standby, prepared for potential hypothermia or injury recovery common in November outings.
Taylors Island, a remote Dorchester County community of about 100 full-time residents, sits at the mouth of the Little Choptank River, where Slaughter Creek feeds into broader bay access. Chesapeake Beach, the boater’s origin point in Calvert County, lies 40 miles southwest along the Western Shore, a popular launch spot for day trips across the bay.
Such cross-county traces underscore the bay’s interconnected navigation. Boaters often traverse from Calvert’s marinas to Eastern Shore fishing grounds, covering 20 to 30 miles in hours. Phone tracking, as used by the friends here, has become a vital tool, integrating GPS data with cell signals to narrow search zones.’
Coast Guard protocols for inland searches like this follow a systematic grid pattern, prioritizing the last known position before expanding radii. Crews assess drift based on currents — Slaughter Creek flows at 1 to 2 knots toward the bay — and wind, which gusted 10 miles per hour Friday. Helicopters like Trooper 6 use thermal imaging for night extensions if needed, while surface teams drag lines in shallows. As the search pressed on, officials urged bay users to monitor marine forecasts from the National Weather Service. Winds could shift Saturday, complicating sweeps. Natural Resources Police continue coordinating, with public tips welcomed via their hotline. The boater’s identity remains withheld pending family notice.
Friday’s operation, though unresolved by midday, exemplified that readiness. Crews stood down the tow by 10 a.m., refocusing on grid patterns. Updates from Natural Resources Police will clarify next steps, potentially extending into evening if leads surface.