One man dead, another missing in Alligator Point boat accident

One person is dead and another still missing following a boating accident Sunday afternoon in the Gulf of Mexico several miles off the coast of Alligator Point.

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission was notified around 6 p.m. Sunday of a sunken boat offshore, leading them to a partially submerged 49-foot Cary Marine vessel. A search by air and sea commenced by FWC and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The occupants of the boat included Darren Peterson, 46, of Montrose, Colorado, Wallace Rogers, 62, of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Beumon Rogers, 60, of Madisonville, Louisiana, according to FWC officials.

Officials with Fish and Wildlife and the Coast Guard said the men were taking a long trip along the Intracoastal Waterway from the Hudson River to Louisiana. On Saturday morning, they set out from Crystal River and headed up the Gulf Coast.

"When the vessel reached the area south of Alligator Point, it experienced mechanical failure and began to sink causing all three occupants to enter the water," FWC said in an email.

On Monday, the Coast Guard discovered the body of Wallace Rogers and rescued Beaumon Rogers, who was taken to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare. The search for Peterson and the investigation into the accident continues.

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.