Body of missing boater in Susquehanna River found near Harford County's Garrett Island

Crews located the body of an 18-year-old boater on Thursday after a week-long search was launched when he went missing on the Susquehanna River in Harford County, Maryland, according to Natural Resources Police (NRP).

Mark Coates had not been seen or heard from since launching his boat at the Water Street boat ramp around 5 p.m. on Nov. 4, according to NRP. Officers were then dispatched to Garrett Island on reports of a capsized 10-foot aluminum Jon boat that belonged to Coates on Nov. 5.

Coates' mother has described him as an avid fisherman who spent every day chasing sunrises and sunsets, which makes his disappearance even more devastating.

Dozens of people joined the search to do everything they could to bring Coates home to his family. It was all hands on deck – from boat crews to ground crews, dive teams and drone searches.

On Wednesday, the search continued with units from the United Cajun Navy, which was called in as an additional resource in the search. The nonprofit is focused on disaster response, search and rescue, and humanitarian aide. 

Commander Josh Gill flew in from Louisiana to lead the charge.

"Put together a quick little action plan and reached out to our Maryland point of contact, and started requesting volunteer resources – boats, sonar, drones, boots on the ground, all that stuff," Gill said. 

More than 50 volunteers, including former professional diver Eric Shapiro, gathered at the boat ramp where Coates was last seen in hopes of finding anything that could bring the family some peace in an unthinkable situation. 

"I feel awful for the family. The post that I saw was touching. It was moving," Shapiro said. "The family is not going to have closure until they have a body to bury, and I used to specialize in salvage, so if this is something I can help do, I'm happy to help."

Havre De Grace resident John Himelright said he had watched the search efforts from his home on the water. A boater himself, it hits too close to home. 

"It makes you realize that you always have to be on your guard. Watch out for others and watch the tides, watch the weather, of course. That's a big one - storms come in pretty quick," Himelright said.

He doesn't know the Coates family personally, but said the situation has rocked the entire community.