Body of Maryland boater found weeks after he was reported missing
The body of a Maryland boater was found Thursday, nearly three weeks after he was reported missing in the Chesapeake Bay, according to the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Police.
Lonnie James Johnson, 65, of Chesapeake Beach, was reported missing on Nov. 14, and his boat was found unoccupied near Taylors Island in Dorchester County.
His body was found in the water near the northwest shoreline of Taylors Island, police said.
Bob Bruns, a friend of Johnson, described him as a fisherman with more than 50 years of experience and the man at the center of the Chesapeake Bay fishing community. Another friend, Travis Long, described Johnson as a father, grandfather, proud veteran and reliable friend.
"He always would answer the phone, he always had an ear, he was one of those friends who would drop everything to give you support when you needed it," Long said.
Johnson's friends reported him missing when he didn't show up for a fishing trip, according to Bruns.
"He's never late," Bruns said. "...We realized something was wrong. His boat was gone, his truck and trailer were there, but it had frost on it, which meant it would have been there overnight."
Police said Johnson had taken his boat out and never returned the day before he was reported missing.
Bruns believes Johnson had a medical emergency and fell overboard. Police have not confirmed his manner of death.
"You're holding your breath hoping that he had passed out or fainted or something and would be in the boat, but when they got to the boat, the engine was running, it wasn't in gear. Of course, his phone was ringing off the hook, and no evidence of foul play or anything. He just wasn't in the boat," Bruns told WJZ in November.
Bruns said Johnson lost his wife, Cione, to cancer a few years ago.
"His wife passed away, and we became very close, and he spends his Christmases and Thanksgivings here so he's not at home by himself," Bruns said. "He was just such an extraordinary guy."
"My personal belief is that he's no longer in that body, he's in heaven with his wife Cione," Bruns said in November.