Police find bodies on drifting boat

Two decomposing bodies were found on board a small boat southwest of Little Cayman on Tuesday. 

The craft was located just before noon, drifting about 13 miles from the small island’s coast, by a police marine vessel that was heading to Cayman Brac on a routine patrol. 

The police marine unit towed the boat to Scott’s Dock on Cayman Brac’s West End about 2 p.m. Tuesday. 

The craft was described by witnesses as a wooden fishing boat with a small engine attached to the back end.  

A police statement identified the boat as a canoe, about 28 feet in length, and confirmed that the two bodies on board were both males. However, police were unable to state the age or nationality of the two by press time. 

Witnesses said at least a dozen police officers and other emergency response personnel were at the dock by Tuesday afternoon. 

News of the police discovery spread like wildfire among the Brac’s 2,000 residents, according to Bernard Tibbetts, who was among the dozens of people gathered near the dock attempting to find out what was going on. 

“It appears to have been a fishing boat because they found some fishing gear [on board],” Mr. Tibbetts said, adding that it seemed one of the boat’s occupants was partially underneath a seat on the craft. 

Mr. Tibbetts also observed that people examining the boat by Scott’s Dock were covering their faces with masks. It was not immediately known how long the boat had been adrift. 

Police said that officers from the Scenes of Crime Office were transported to Cayman Brac by the Air Operations Unit and are investigating with officers from the Criminal Investigations Department.