Alaska diver reflects on finding remains linked to 2024 boat capsizing carrying Texas family
HOMER, Alaska (KTUU) - Almost a year later, Alaska Dive, Search, Rescue, and Recovery has found remains linked to a boat that capsized last August, resulting in a lengthy search for a Texas family of four.
Since then, crew members had been searching for the remains of 42-year-old David Maynard, 37-year-old Mary Maynard, 11-year-old Colton Maynard, and 8-year-old Brantley Maynard, who were on a boat that capsized on Aug. 3, 2024, in Kachemak Bay. The family was vacationing in Alaska from Troy, Texas.
“A lot of times when we get involved in searches, it basically becomes a family member for us as well,” said Jeremy Lilly, the founder of Alaska Dive, Search, Rescue, and Recovery.
Lilly told Alaska’s News Source that he was the volunteer who found the bodies this week. He said it is always a sense of relief when somebody is found.
“It’s basically a drive for all of us to bring people home,” he said. “A lot of us are prior military who didn’t have closure and stuff on the battlefield, that kind of thing. So this is a way for us to get closure at the same time and we know how important that closure is of taking care of some of the unknowns.”
Initially, eight people were onboard the vessel that sank last August. Four of the people on board were rescued by a good Samaritan, but the Maynard family was not found.
From August 2024 to April 2025, efforts continued to try and locate the boat, a 28-foot aluminum boat that ended up about 16 miles west of the Homer Spit.
Alaska State Troopers confirmed that in early May, the vessel was found under 180 feet of water after three private companies worked to search the bay.
“We haven’t been able to do a full search of the vessel to see if there’s any other remains on the vessel. So we’re just looking for another weather window,” Lilly said.
The remains were transported to the State Medical Examiner, Lilly said.
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