Relatives ‘rely on faith’ as search continues for boaters missing south of Myrtle Beach

GEORGETOWN, S.C. (WCBD) – The sister of one of the missing boaters in Georgetown County spoke Monday as crews searched the bottom of Winyah Bay for any signs of the men.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, crews began the search for an overdue boat with two people aboard near Winyah Bay over the weekend.

They say two men, Marquis Michael and Kinsley Johnson, were last seen on a green 8-foot Jon boat leaving the Carol Ashmore Campbell Marina.

Johnson’s sister spoke to WCBD about her brother.

“They do everything together,” Johnson said. “They go fishing a lot, you know, when you see one, you see the other — they’re inseparable.”

She said they normally fish from the shore, but on Saturday around 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., the pair took out a small Jon boat they recently acquired.

“This was their first time out on the boat,” Johnson said. “So, we don’t think they really had any plans to head anywhere, they were just putting the boat out and just to see, you know, what it was- just kind of be in the area and out on the water.”

Bill Moxley says he saw the men as they were putting their boat in the bay, while he was getting into a boat with his friends Saturday.

“The boat was just squatted down in the stern something terrible,” Moxley said. “So, I mentioned to my friend David I said, ‘oh my God look at that they ain’t going far with that situation’.”

Now, he regrets not stopping the men to advise them to readjust their boat.

“If they had been younger kids, teenagers, or even young kids in their 20s, I probably would’ve said you need to re-pack that boat,” Moxley said.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources sent a diver to a point of interest in the water on Monday to search for the men. Their family and friends are just waiting for news one way or another.

“We’re trying to be in great spirits,” Johnson said. “That’s the best that we can do. We’re trying to rely on our faith right now and you know we can keep the positive energy going and just really rely on our faith right now.”

The Coast Guard said they plan to search again Monday night and early Tuesday morning.