Police find body of missing Dix Hill boater

I heard they were looking for this guy. There was some hope he would be found alive, I guess not. Thoughts and prayers to the family.


http://www.newsday.com/news/local/su...,6651410.story
Police find body of missing Dix Hill boater
BY MATTHEW CHAYES ANDREW STRICKLER | matthew.chayes@newsday.com | andrew.strickler@newsday.com 11:50 PM EDT, July 11, 2009 A body found floating in Babylon's Sampawams Creek has been identified as that of a Dix Hills boater whose vessel had been found idling near a yacht club earlier in the day, Suffolk County police said late Saturday.

Authorities made the discovery at about 9:15 p.m. Saturday after using sonar and confirmed the missing boater's identity about an hour later, police said.

The boater, Ralph Blachly, 49, had last been heard from when he made a cell phone call to a friend at 11:50 p.m. Friday, authorities said. Police said they believe he made the call from his boat.

Police first began investigating when a report first came in at 2:21 a.m. that a powerboat was adrift in Babylon Cove, police said. The caller reported that the boat had been idling with its lights on for about two hours. Blachly's 30-foot Larson was found a short time later, about 50 yards from the Babylon Yacht Club in West Islip, police said.





Blachly had dinner with friends early Friday evening and met another friend before getting to his boat in a slip on Babylon Cove some time in the evening, according to Det. Lt. Joseph Williams of the missing persons section.

In the call shortly before midnight, Blachly made plans to meet the friend later in the night.

Foul play is not suspected, police said.

Police divers initially concentrated their search around the Babylon Fishing Station at Post Place because they believed Blachly may have been heading there before he disappeared.

Reached hours before police made the discovery in the creek, a woman who answered the phone at a number listed in Blachly's name declined to comment.

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Originally Posted by BassBuddah

IReached hours before police made the discovery in the creek, a woman who answered the phone at a number listed in Blachly's name declined to comment.

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I heard about that on the news, what a shame. I wonder if he was drinking or something like that, or fell in with his clothes on and no one gwas around to hear him strugggle or help him? That's the think that burns me up about news reporters sometimes. They called his house for comment, HOURS before the police found his dead body. :don't know why:They should get an award for chutzpah of the month. :2flip: