NC NC - Savannah Grant, 27, from WV, in canoe, Outer Banks, 9 Oct 2021

[JerseyGirl]

‘It’s a nightmare’: Family continues search for missing Fairmont woman

Family members of 27-year-old Savannah Grant tell 5 News Grant was with two men in Outer Banks, North Carolina when a canoe she was in overturned Oct. 9 along the coast.

The men - Grant’s boyfriend and their roommate - were later found and rescued. Grant, however, hasn’t been seen since.

Local authorities and the Coast Guard combed the area for days, but have since suspended their search.

Local authorities are investigating, but Weekley says they have not been much help. He says Grant’s boyfriend and roommate have also not been able to provide answers.

sheriff’s office said there is no evidence to suggest Grant’s disappearance was anything more than a tragic boating accident. Carteret County Sheriff’s Office told 5 News Grant is presumed lost as sea.

 

[GraceG]

A little more info here. She was with her boyfriend and roommate in one canoe with her dog. Another article had the dog as being a larger breed but that is not mentioned here. They were hit by a wave and capsized. She was wearing a life vest. Search for missing Harrison County woman continues - WV MetroNews One man recovering in the hospital, the other found on an island. Search has been called off. New details emerge on tragic canoe accident

 

[borndem]

‘It’s a nightmare’: Family continues search for missing Fairmont woman

Family members of 27-year-old Savannah Grant tell 5 News Grant was with two men in Outer Banks, North Carolina when a canoe she was in overturned Oct. 9 along the coast.

The men - Grant’s boyfriend and their roommate - were later found and rescued. Grant, however, hasn’t been seen since.

Local authorities and the Coast Guard combed the area for days, but have since suspended their search.

Local authorities are investigating, but Weekley says they have not been much help. He says Grant’s boyfriend and roommate have also not been able to provide answers.

sheriff’s office said there is no evidence to suggest Grant’s disappearance was anything more than a tragic boating accident. Carteret County Sheriff’s Office told 5 News Grant is presumed lost as sea.

I'm familiar with the NC Outer Banks, and swimming can be dangerous there due to the frequent shifting of coastal areas, and the ocean there is a bit colder than the other many areas of the NC coast. There are a lot of little channels going from the beach area out to sea, and these are where the rip tides commonly occur.
Rip tides are quite common there, and if a swimmer does not know how to swim out of a riptide, it can be a very serious situation. Also, many areas of the coast do not have life guards. This may well have been what happened to her.
This time of year is b-i-g for fishing, so if any fishermen saw someone in distress, I'm sure someone would have either tried to get to her or called 911, and I'm betting there may have been several calls about the canoe mishap.
This doesn't look good for a positive outcome. Too many days have now elapsed from the incident. And as was said in some comments -- why did they go out in a probably over-loaded canoe? The OBanks are not a good place for canoes -- ever.

There is a well-staffed Coast Guard station out there, as has been mentioned, and they usually work areas where a swimmer may have been very thoroughly -- they have several kinds of rescues and, as we all know, they are very well-trained and know the area very well -- but they also know when to stop. SMH.
Hoping for the best for her and her loved ones.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

Local authorities in late October suspended the search for Savannah Grant, 27, of Fairmont, West Virginia, who went missing Oct. 9 following a boating accident off Portsmouth Island during stormy weather.

Grant was with Jason Quickle, her boyfriend, of Fairmont, West Virginia, and John Pierson, of Lost Creek, West Virginia. The three, including Pierson’s dog, Poseidon, had been camping on Portsmouth Island and left that day (Oct. 9) during a coastal storm to return to Ocracoke.

Jason Wank, chief detective of the Carteret County Sheriff Department, said in an interview that the case is now considered a “missing person.”

“The other agencies have exhausted their efforts and have been unable to locate Ms. Grant,” he said, adding that the “accusations and rumors hold no weight.”

He said his investigation determined no evidence to suspect foul play and that his office sent out missing person flyers to all law enforcement agencies in the state.

“It’s just so unfortunate,” he said. “It’s a tragic situation and I understand (the family’s) frustration. Our hearts go out to them.”

A thank you to Ocracoke; woman lost in Outer Banks boating accident officially listed as missing - Beach 104

 

[Unsolved]

-- why did they go out in a probably over-loaded canoe? The OBanks are not a good place for canoes -- ever.

<BBM and snipped to point to>

Plus in the @MsMiniSleuth article above it shows "The three, including Pierson’s dog, Poseidon, had been camping on Portsmouth Island and left that day (Oct. 9) during a coastal storm to return to Ocracoke".

I feel so sad for them because they probably didn't realize how bad it could be until they were already in it. The power of water cannot be underestimated! I've seen the aftermath of a group of young kids who thought it would be fun to take a raft out during a hurricane, only to get absolutely panicked and scared to death when they were faced with that power. Thankfully they were OK - hopefully they learned Mother Nature doesn't play around when she gets angry!

 

[JnRyan]

October in those waters is cold. Even though she had a life jacket, exposure could have been the factor. They had btw a mile and mile and half at the shortest distance from Portsmouth Island and Ocracoke Island. I'm not familiar with Ocracoke Island and how accessible the southernmost point is with a 4WD, otherwise it is another 4 miles along the sound side shore to Hwy 12. That is not an easy trip in a canoe and a storm makes it worse.