St. John’s Antigua: The death of James “Titus” Anatol, whose body was fished from the waters yesterday morning, came as a shock to his devastated mother who had no knowledge the deceased had even gone out to sea.
James went missing on Sunday afternoon after plunging off a boat to swim in the Deep Bay area.
His mother, Sherrette McCoy of Five Islands, said her blood pressure had elevated since learning of the incident.
The distraught mother cried as she told the media her 18-year-old son had been residing with his father and she hadn’t communicated with him on the day of the tragedy.
“He doesn’t live with me, I left him in his father’s care and I didn’t even know he had gone out there. When they told me (Sunday) all I was praying for was for them to find him alive,” McCoy said.
The mother’s hopes were dashed at about 8 am yesterday when she was informed of the discovery of the body.
She said investigators informed her James had gone on a picnic out at sea with friends Sunday afternoon and had left the vessel to swim some time after 5 pm.
At the time, the vessel was about 15 to 20 feet from the shoreline, she said.
“He was on a fishing boat called Blue Whale. They came from Market Place right around to Deep Bay and docked. He came off the boat and went into the water and then he started calling out ‘help, help, help’,” she reported.
The mother said she was told that because her son was often a jovial prankster, the captain of the vessel – his friend – did not immediately recognise he was in fact in danger.
“Apparently it wasn’t taken seriously. The guy later tried to rescue James but then it became difficult to get him out and he had to get back into the boat,” she said, recounting the report she received.
When the body was pulled from the water, rigor mortis had already set in.
McCoy said when she viewed the body she noted a laceration on one of her son’s ears and that he was dressed only in boxer shorts.
Police are probing the death, but, in a statement to the press, said they do not suspect foul play.
On Sunday, Lieutenant Commander of the Antigua & Barbuda Coast Guard Auden Nicholas, told OBSERVER Media his department received an emergency call about the incident around 5:30 pm.
The call reportedly came from the captain of the vessel, Steve Forde.
The coast guard went in search of the teenager but called off the operation at 8 pm Sunday since it was too dark to continue.
He said the rescue resumed at first light yesterday and ended at 7:50 am following the tragic discovery.
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