HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) – Nearly a year after a tragic disappearance, a family is renewing its call for answers as SLED joins the investigation.
Tyler Doyle’s family claims the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) did not properly investigate his case, following his disappeara
nce in January.
Doyle’s Aunt, Sharon Boyd said she is hopeful SLED will help them get real answers.
“It could be what they said, that he drowned, but you don’t get to tell me that my nephew drowned, and he’s in heaven if you didn’t find him,” said Boyd.
Boyd said DNR didn’t take her concerns seriously. She said the department told her and her family to go to church and pray, rather than continue looking for Doyle.
The search started a year ago after SCDNR said 22-year-old Doyle vanished when his boat drifted out into the rough Atlantic waters, while he and a friend were out duck hunting.
Boyd said the friends had been carrying guns, which she said weren’t properly investigated after Doyle’s disappearance.
“There was a firearm involved in this,” said Boyd. “There were only two people, and one of them didn’t come back.”
Boyd has spent nearly a year, fighting for a deeper investigation. That investigation could involve retrieving Doyle’s and his friend’s phone records, but the clock is ticking for authorities to make a discovery.
“There are things that disappear after a year with technology,” said Boyd.
A close family friend made fliers titling Doyle as a ‘Missing Duck Hunter’, as they pus to keep his case active. While they continue to put pressure on authorities, they’re also preparing to spend their first-ever holiday season without Doyle.
“Thinking about never being able to talk to him again is the most difficult thing I could ever imagine,” said Boyd. “It’s been so hard for all of us, and I’m never going to stop fighting for him, because he would do the same for me.”
Friends and family have also started a petition known as ‘Tyler’s Beacon.’
If the petition gets sponsored and filed, it would require all hunters and fishermen in the state of South Carolina to be issued a waterproof beacon with a serial number. In the event a person goes missing, the traceable device could help locate them in the event of an emergency.
The petition was started in March 2023 and currently has over 6,500 signatures.
Doyle’s family said they started the petition to create more awareness in hopes that no family goes through what they’re experiencing.
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