Who Is Mallory Beach? New Details About The S.C. Teen Who Went Missing After A Boat Crash
She fell overboard.
Facebook Emergency crews are searching for a 19-year-old woman who fell overboard during a boat crash Sunday morning.
Mallory Beach disappeared following a boating accident near Parris Island around 2 a.m. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the lead agency on the crash, says the investigation into the cause of the crash is still in its early stages and ongoing.
“She’s always happy. Everybody loves her, loves being around her,” her sister Savannah Tuten told the Island Packet. “We are still hoping and praying that we find her alive.”
So who is Mallory Beach? Here's what we know so far.
1. She fell from a boat after it crashed.
Beach went missing after the boat she was on crashed into a bridge near Archers Creek in Beaufort County around 2 a.m. Sunday morning, police say. Burton Fire District and the Beaufort and Town of Port Royal fire departments responded to the call at 2:26 a.m., Burton Lt. Dan Byrne said.
The group of six friends was returning from an oyster roast that evening when the accident occurred, Beach's boyfriend Anthony Cook told Island Packet. He said she was sitting in his lap and fell into the water when the 17-foot Sea Hunt crashed. Cook said he tried to save her but had to turn back out of fear for his own life.
“I knew if I didn’t turn back then, I wouldn’t make it,” said Cook, who suffered a dislocated shoulder.
Five people, including Cook, were treated at a nearby hospital for non-life-threatening injuries but Beach was nowhere to be found.
2. The search has expanded.
S.C. Department of Natural Resources scoured the area surrounding the crash until dark on Sunday and resumed the effort at 8 a.m. Monday, Capt. Robert McCullough said. The DNR and other local agencies expanded the search to include the Broad and Beaufort Rivers all the way out to the mouth of Port Royal Sound, according to WTOC.
“The problem is we don’t have an exact location — it doesn’t look like a big area until you try to start searching the bottom, and it’s a huge area,” McCullough said. “The other problem is with the fast-moving water, depending on the person, you could get pulled out a long way if you’re struggling or fighting or have a life jacket on.”
The Coast Guard, Beaufort and Town Of Port Royal Fire Department, and Beaufort County Search and Rescue are assisting in the search, as well as local civilian agencies.
“It is an all-hands-on-deck situation,” said DNR spokesman David Lucas.
National Center for Missing and Endangered
3. It is now considered a recovery operation.
For the first 48 hours, authorities were in search mode as they pursued the case but the efforts have transitioned into a recovery operation, authorities said.
4. The cause of the crash is unknown.
The circumstances surrounding the boating accident are being investigated by DNR, McCullough said. There was alcohol on the boat but it is unclear if it was involved in the crash, he said.
When asked if anyone on the boat was tested for blood alcohol content, McCullough said, “Not that I’m aware of," Island Packet reported.
Authorities are also looking into who was driving the boat at the time of the crash. According to Beach's boyfriend, there was a dispute over who should and shouldn't be driving the boat. Cook said “ones that were driving didn’t really need to be driving” but the boat took off anyway.
5. Authorities are asking for help.
Rescuers urge anyone on the water to keep an eye out for anything that could possibly be related to the crash, WTOC reports.
“Just call 911 immediately. Back off a safe distance. Try to keep a line of sight on it, but just back away,” said Lt. Michael Paul Thomas, SC DNR. “Let us get up there so we can, if needed, document it, photograph it, whatever’s required, and if it’s nothing, that’s fine too. We’d still like to come check it out. Anything that piques their curiosity or they think they see something, we will send an asset to check it out immediately.”
Sarah Gangraw writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.