Man Working on Former Deadliest Catch Boat Found Dead After Going Missing During Storm

A 28-year-old man who was working on a fishing vessel featured on Deadliest Catch died following a treacherous winter storm in Alaska, authorities said.

The body of Jacob Riley Veeser, formerly of Escanaba, Mich., was found in Iliuliuk Harbor in Unalaska Bay, shortly before 10:30 a.m. local time on Saturday, April 5, according to the Unalaska Department of Public Safety.

Veeser had been reported missing the night before at approximately 5:30 p.m. by his fellow crew members on the F/V Lady Alaska. The vessel has not been featured on Deadliest Catch since season 17, which aired in 2021.

The veteran fisherman had last been seen walking on an area dock at a processing facility hours before around midnight, authorities said.

A search for the fisherman began just before 7 p.m. until efforts were suspended at approximately 10:30 p.m., officials said.

For more than two hours on Saturday, members of the U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska State Troopers, Unalaska Fire Department and Unalaska Police Department searched for Veeser before the fire department was able to recover his body.

According to the Daily Press in Escanaba, Veeser had been working on fishing vessels in the Bering Sea for nine years.

At the time of his disappearance, the region was hit by a winter storm that featured whiteout conditions. Nearly 13 inches of snow fell on Friday, April 4, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, while sustained winds were between 30 and 40 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.

Veeser’s next of kin was notified, and authorities said that they would be investigating the incident.

No further information was available at this time.