Md. Publisher Missing

[Football_Bat]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/06/11/D8I5V6NG0.html

Rescue crews searched the Chesapeake Bay for a prominent publisher and diplomat after his sailboat was discovered empty in the water, the executive editor of The (Annapolis) Capital said Sunday.

Philip Merrill's boat was found around 7 p.m. Saturday, authorities said. Merrill was still missing early Sunday, said Tom Marquardt of The Capital, which is part of Merrill's publishing company.

 

[franticscribe]

Man that's sad.

Having worked near the Chesapeake for quite a few years, I'd have to say it'll be amazing if they find him alive at this point.

 

[Moderator1]

Very sad. These kinds of stories don't usually end well.

 

[franticscribe]

Things aren't looking good for Mr. Merrill:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-bay611,0,7791579.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

Considering the conditions and the 62-degree water temperature, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Timothy G.M. Balunis, Jr., estimated survival time to be about 28 hours.

"As time goes by, chances of survival are less and less," Chaney said.

Best case, he's been missing for 25 hours.

 

[franticscribe]

They're officially calling it a 'recovery' operation now:

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/06_12-14/TOP

It's a sad way to go.

 

[Perry White]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/20/AR2006062001476.html

Philip Merrill, the publisher and former diplomat whose body was found floating in the Chesapeake Bay Monday after a 10-day search, apparently took his own life, his family said tonight.

 

[OTD]

Merrill, 72, was found with a shotgun wound to the head and a small anchor tied around one or both ankles, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

Holy Crap. He sure wasn't taking any chances.

 

[HeinekenMan]

I realize that the man loved sailing and probably hoped to die at sea. But holy Reebok Pumps! How can you hop on your sailboat, drift out into the foamy bay, look deeply at the beautiful skyline and say, "Alright, now I'm going to shoot myself."

I thought people did that in dark alleys or at home on the can.

 

[BYH]

Anyone else reminded of Robert Maxwell?