***CORRECTION: The last name of the missing couple was initially incorrectly reported. The correct last name, Hutchins, has been amended for the release below and for any future release.***
BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A Coast Guard-led search effort has discovered an empty boat belonging to a missing husband and wife near the north end of Jekyll Sound, Georgia, Monday.
Missing is Raymond, 59, and Laura Hutchins, 61.
The Hutchins’ son reported the couple missing to watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Brunswick at approximately 9:20 a.m., saying that the couple hadn't returned from a boating trip. The couple had departed a dock in Harriet's Bluff at 11 a.m., Sunday.
The Coast Guard launched crews aboard a 29-foot Response Boat — Small from Station Brunswick and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Savannah to assist in the search. A boat crew with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources located the Hutchins’ 21-foot vessel unmanned with the engine running and their and dog still aboard.
The Coast Guard currently leads search efforts with assistance from Georgia DNR and the Coast Guard Auxiliary.