Fact check: What agencies are still looking for missing SC boater Tyler Doyle?

Eleanor Nash
JASON LEE/jlee@thesunnews.com

Eleven days after boater Tyler Doyle went missing near the Little River jetties, some government agencies have called off their searches, while the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources continues their search.

The Loris man was last seen duck hunting near North Myrtle Beach on Jan. 26.

Since then, items appearing to belong to Doyle, such as waders, a wallet and duck decoys, have been found off of the North Carolina coast.

Volunteer search parties organized on Facebook are still taking boats out, walking the coast and watching beach webcams. The Facebook group “Help Find Tyler Doyle” has grown to over 75,000 members in less than a week.

Here are the organizations and government agencies still searching for the missing boater.

Still searching

  • The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources “is committed to continuing the search until the missing boater is found,” wrote spokesperson Greg Lucas by text. The agency is currently sending out one boat at a time, along with a fixed-wing aircraft, shared Lucas in an email.

Scaled back search

  • Sunset Beach, NC, Police Department has reduced beach patrols from their initial number. When they heard Doyle went missing, the department had patrols going out at least every hour, said police chief Ken Klamar today.

  • Holden Beach, NC police officers are keeping an eye out on patrol, but not actively searching, said an officer today on the phone.

Not searching

  • U.S. Coast Guard ended their search on January 27.

  • The nonprofit North Myrtle Beach Rescue Squad stopped their search on Saturday. Organizers said they needed to get back to their jobs and families.

  • The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission had patrol boats on the water until Feb. 3, noted Captain of Support Services Branden Jones today.

  • Horry County Fire and Rescue doesn’t have boats in the water looking for Doyle, confirmed spokesperson Tony Casey today.

  • Horry County Police Department is not involved in the search, said spokesperson Mikayla Moskov today by text.

  • North Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue is also not involved in the search, noted spokesperson Donald Graham today.

The Sun News has not heard back from the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.

Advertisement