Dominic Dasher, 45, identified after extensive multi-agency search
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
The body of a Beaufort County fisherman who went missing after a commercial fishing boat overturned off Tybee Island has been recovered following a five-day search involving numerous local, state and federal agencies.
Dominic Lamont Dasher, 45, was identified by the Chatham County Coroner’s Office after his body was recovered at approximately 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, just south of the shipping channel offshore from Tybee Island.
Dasher had celebrated his 45th birthday in March, writing in a public Facebook post, “What a day to be alive. I want to thank God for allowing me to see the big 45. Happy birthday to me.”
According to information provided to The Island News by Georgia Department of Natural Resources (Georgia DNR) Public Affairs Officer Mark McKinnon, the search began at approximately 9 a.m. Saturday, July 11, after Chatham County Marine Patrol notified Georgia DNR game wardens of an overturned commercial fishing vessel near the north end of Tybee Island with one person missing.
Another man aboard the vessel was rescued following the accident, while Dasher remained unaccounted for, prompting an extensive search involving agencies from both Georgia and South Carolina. The cause of the boating accident has not been released, and authorities have not said what caused the vessel to overturn.
McKinnon said Georgia DNR game wardens, Chatham County Marine Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, Tybee Marine Rescue Squadron, Tybee Fire and Rescue, Tybee Police Department and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) game wardens immediately began searching for Dasher. Chatham County Aviation and Georgia DNR Aviation also conducted multiple aerial searches throughout the operation.
Despite strong winds and thunderstorms that complicated search efforts, crews continued searching daily.
Just hours before his body was recovered, Dasher’s son shared an emotional message on Facebook thanking the public for its support and asking people to continue praying as the search entered its fifth day.
“Right now, we’re still searching for my dad. We haven’t given up hope, and we’re continuing to pray and trust God every step of the way,” Dominic L. Dasher Jr. wrote Wednesday morning. “Please keep praying that my dad comes home.”
Less than five hours later, at approximately 2 p.m., Georgia DNR game wardens and U.S. Coast Guard personnel located Dasher’s body just south of the shipping channel offshore from Tybee Island, McKinnon said. The recovery was conducted by Georgia DNR and the Coast Guard before the body was turned over to the Chatham County Coroner’s Office.
According to McKinnon, Dasher had been in the water from approximately 9 a.m. July 11 until his recovery on July 15.
In a subsequent public Facebook post Thursday, Dasher’s son thanked the community for the outpouring of support shown throughout the search and announced plans for a remembrance walk Sunday at the Tybee Pier and Pavilion.
“Thank you to everyone who has prayed for my dad, shared a post, reached out, called, texted, or simply kept our family in your thoughts,” he wrote. “Reading all of your messages and seeing the stories you’ve shared about my dad has brought me comfort during one of the hardest times of my life.”
He also invited those attending the remembrance walk to wear blue or a blue ribbon in honor of his father.
“Blue will represent the love, memories, and prayers surrounding him,” he wrote. “It does not have to be anything special.”
The remembrance walk is scheduled from 11 a.m. to noon Sunday at the Tybee Pier and Pavilion on Tybee Island.
An autopsy is being conducted by the Chatham County Coroner’s Office. As of online publication, the official cause and manner of death had not been released. The Island News has contacted the coroner’s office for additional information regarding the autopsy and official cause and manner of death. A staff member said the coroner was out of the office and would return the newspaper’s call upon his return.
The search drew assistance from multiple agencies on both sides of the Georgia-South Carolina line, including Chatham County Marine Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, Tybee Marine Rescue Squadron, Tybee Fire and Rescue, Tybee Police Department, SCDNR, Chatham County Aviation and Georgia DNR Aviation.
Dasher’s family had asked the public to continue praying and to respect their privacy as search crews worked to bring him home before his body was recovered Wednesday afternoon, bringing the five-day search to a heartbreaking end.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.