Elderly Couple Boating Fatality at The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge

A boating adventure turned out to be a tragedy for an elderly Boca Raton couple at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge on Nov. 14th.

Archer Adams III and his wife Paula Adams went out to fish and to go for a ride on their Gheenoe motorboat when they accidentally drowned, according to Paul Petrino operations manager for the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner Office.

The Wildlife Refuge is a 147,392 acre located West of Boynton Beach, including the Northernmost remnants of the Everglades.

This habitat is home to different wildlife, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, endangered and threatened species, and Non-Native invasive species.

Still under investigation on how the incident happened, a preliminary report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said that somehow they just ended up in the water and their bodies were found by another boater. 

“A passing boater saw their empty vessel and located them floating in the water,” according to the report, Peter Burke of WPTV said.

Though the boater called 911, it was too late once the Coral Springs fire rescue crews arrived; the victims were pronounced dead.