A commercial barge may have struck a 19-foot Boston whaler without realizing it, causing the early-September boating accident in which the nephew of Montgomery County Councilman Neal Potter and his mother died, Natural Resources Police said yesterday.
Cpl. Dennis W. Leland said in a news conference at the Tawes State Office Building in Annapolis that police found iron filings and paint chips typical of commercial barges on the whaler, but no wood or fiberglass residue that would have come from a recreational boat.
"There is a strong possibility that a commercial barge may have struck the vessel without even noticing it," Corporal Leland said.
The accident occurred in the mouth of Broad Creek near Tilghman Island the night of Sept. 10. The fiberglass boat Thunder Bay was hit on the port side near the fuel tank.
Michael Donner, 50, of Fairfax, Va., and his 79-year-old mother, Jane Donner-Sweeney, who lived in Talbot County, were thrown into the water and drowned. Neither was wearing a life jacket.
The bow light of the whaler had a missing bulb, and investigators believe the stern light was not on, police said.
Mr. Donner's body was found Sept. 14 in the bay south of Tilghman Island. His mother's body was found caught in a buoy line off Dares Beach.
Darryl Claggett, a Natural Resources spokesman, said barges vary in size from 275 feet to 310 feet "and a number of different ones come in and out of the channel."
Corporal Leland said he took iron filings and paint samples from two to four barges, but that tests performed by an FBI lab were inconclusive. He said he has suspended his investigation, but will reopen it if any new leads develop.
Anyone with information is urged to call NRP at 1-800-628-9944.