Crews search for fisherman missing off Little Deer Isle Lobster boat Ruby G found on shore, engine running

DEER ISLE – Search and rescue crews scoured the shoreline and waters off Little Deer Isle this weekend, searching for a local fisherman whose boat was discovered run aground Saturday.

By Sunday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard had suspended its effort to find Byron Gross, 65, of Little Deer Isle, pending further developments. Crews from the Maine Marine Patrol and the Deer Isle Fire Department continued the search all day Sunday until low tide and dwindling daylight forced them to halt.

The search for Gross began Saturday afternoon. He had been hauling lobster traps on Saturday. His fishing boat, the Ruby G, was discovered in gear with the engine running Saturday afternoon on the shore of Little Deer Isle near Weeds Point on the southeast tip of the island.

Crews from the Deer Isle Fire Department were the first on the scene. They found the fisherman’s boots on the shore about 500 feet from the boat.

The U.S. Coast Guard was alerted at about 2 p.m. Saturday and sent 47-foot boats, one from Rockland and one from Southwest Harbor. The Maine Marine Patrol sent a boat and divers, and state police divers joined the search.

“We’ve had crews searching the shoreline out to the end of Weeds Point, and out on Carney Island,” said marine patrol Officer Kurt Soneson. “We’ve got divers in the water and the K-9 teams are sniffing on the water.”

Family members gathered at the end of Weeds Point Road, not far from where Gross resides, where the searchers had set up a command station. Local volunteers joined the search teams, many of them on ATVs, which they used to search the many trails that run off the road through the woods.

“We always have plenty of help when we need it,” said Deer Isle Fire Chief Brent Morey.

The weather Saturday hampered rescue efforts, but crews remained at the scene until dark. It was low tide just as the sun was setting, but they went out one more time with flashlights to search the shores one more time, Morey said.

Conditions were better Sunday as the weather cleared and the wind died down as the day wore on.

Members of the Maine State Rescue Dogs group were at the scene both days. Troy and Irene Morey had their dogs Sorcha and Eiko searching the shoreline and nearby woods.

“We worked on a tight grid to try to rule out areas where he might have been,” Troy Morey said. “We’re pretty confident he’s not in the areas we’ve covered.”

Chip Wadsworth and Jennifer Rocheleau and their dogs Chile and Kierke searched on the water for any scent of the missing man.

Using the same type of grid-pattern search, teams of state police and marine patrol divers were towed along the ocean bottom searching for the missing man.

By Sunday afternoon, the rescue crews had combed the shorelines near Weeds Point and on Carney Island several times, without success.

Given the time that has elapsed, officials now have determined that the effort is no longer a rescue operation, according to Sgt. Marlowe Sonksen of the marine patrol. The Coast Guard boats and helicopter no longer will participate in the search.

The rest of the crews planned to be back at the scene this morning.