Alaska authorities announced on Wednesday that the final set of human remains believed to belong to a Texas family missing since a tragic boating accident in August 2024 have been recovered from a sunken vessel off the coast of Homer.
According to the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, additional dives conducted on June 9 and 10 by the Alaska Dive Search, Rescue, and Recovery Team (ADSRR), with trooper support, resulted in the recovery of the fourth and final set of human remains from the wreckage. All recovered remains have been sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy and positive identification.
Troopers and divers now believe they have successfully recovered the remains of all four members of the Maynard family — David Maynard, 42, his wife Mary Maynard, 37, and their sons Colton, 11, and Brantley, 8 — who were aboard a 28-foot aluminum boat that capsized in Kachemak Bay on August 3, 2024.
The Maynards, residents of Troy, Texas, had been on vacation in Alaska at the time of the incident.
The boat, which carried eight people total, capsized roughly 16 miles west of the Homer Spit.
Four individuals survived after making it into a life raft and were rescued by a Good Samaritan vessel following a mayday call issued by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Despite an extensive search involving aircraft, vessels, and volunteers, no trace of the Maynards or the boat was found at the time, and the Coast Guard suspended active search efforts within days.
In the months that followed, volunteers with ADSRR conducted sonar searches, but severe underwater conditions and poor visibility thwarted their efforts. The Maynards remained officially listed as missing persons.
New momentum came in April 2025, when three private companies — Support Vessels of Alaska, Vision Subsea, and Benthic Geoscience Inc. — volunteered their time and technology to assist with a renewed search. Using remote-operated vehicle (ROV) equipment, they successfully located the wreck in 180 feet of water and confirmed it to be the missing vessel.
Dive operations conducted on May 27 and 28 by ADSRR and Wildlife Troopers led to the recovery of three sets of human remains. This week’s recovery marks the fourth and final set, bringing somber closure to a heart-wrenching chapter for the Maynard family and all those involved in the rescue and recovery efforts.
The Alaska Wildlife Troopers thanked all those involved in the extended search and recovery effort.
The investigation into the cause of the capsizing remains open, with officials continuing to review the incident and the vessel’s condition.
The Maynard family’s story has left a profound impact on the Homer community and far beyond. The closure provided by this final recovery offers some measure of peace after months of uncertainty.
