TYLER DOYLE, MISSING DUCK HUNTER LITTLE RIVER, SOUTH CAROLINA 1/26/23
Everyone deserves for their story to be told; no matter who they are, if they are not here to tell it, they deserve to have a voice. With this blog, I hope to be that listening ear to that voice in the darkness and make sure that their story is broadcasted to the best of my ability.
Coastal South Carolina is filled with beauty and wonder; marshlands that support an entire ecosystem of fish and birds and other wildlife. The low country streams and rivers meander into lakes and slough off into swampy marsh filled with turtles and heron and cayman. In summer, the air is heavy with brine and still except for the sounds of crickets and tree frogs and splashes of alligators. Spanish moss drapes wanton like forest green curtains hung haphazardly over live oaks that stretch into the sultry southern sky.
There are wide expanses of beach, sand and dunes, beach grass bending to the wind in a cadence matching the ever present tides. The blue green Atlantic beckons like a siren, calling in surfers and swimmers and boaters and fishermen. On stormy days and the skies turn grey casting a pall on the cerulean sea as it churns into blue grey whorls; those are the days the sea claims them all for its own.
Every year, over 20 million people flock to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to enjoy the sun and sand by day and by night there are hundreds of activities and adventures to choose from. There are aquariums, amusement parks, over 2000 restaurants, and more mini golf than you can shake a stick at. If you should you choose, you can even take a cruise on a casino boat and try your hand with Lady Luck.
But for every bit of paradise, there always seems to be a sinister side. For all that beauty and wonder, there is a matched darkness and evil. According to the FBI’s latest US Crime Report, Myrtle Beach, SC is now officially the 3rd most dangerous city in the United States (Charlotte Stories, 2019). These are high statistics and surprising because most would assume that larger cities like New York City or Los Angeles would fall highest on that list.
Crimes listed vary from murder to larceny to kidnapping. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources reported in 2022 (SCDNR.gov 2023) that missing persons cases went up by 131%. Again, these are high statistics and suggest that perhaps there is a trend given that crime in general is high in this city.
Just North of this crime mecca is North Myrtle Beach which ranked at number 30 on the same federal list. That is where this untold story comes in. North Myrtle Beach/Little River is some of the most beautiful raw nature on South Carolina’s coast. It boasts a small town running along the Intracoastal Waterway, rife with beautiful waterfront homes and sandy beaches that lead to the Atlantic. There are oyster beds on the intracoastal and long marsh-walks stretching across the vast waterways that course out to the Atlantic. The area is rich with history and family owned land dating back to the 1800s in the glory days of lumber mills.
On January 26, 2023, Tyler Doyle, a duck hunter from Loris, South Carolina went missing right there in Little River, South Carolina. As the story goes, he was going duck hunting that afternoon with a friend. He is said to have dropped the friend at the jetty rocks in order to go scare up some ducks to shoot. The friend calls 911 some minutes later stating that “I am in the ocean and my boat is drifting out into the ocean.” The 911 dispatcher asks for verification if anyone is hurt on the boat. There is a pause. He then states “I’m on the jetty rocks, Tyler, a buddy of mine; his boat is sinking.” He explains that Tyler had called him in distress and that the engine had cut off and the boat was taking on water.
The friend asks to hang up so that he may call Tyler and check on him. He has stated that he cannot see him any longer and that he had turned away and when he looked back, he was gone. The 911 dispatcher instructs him to hang up to call Tyler and call her right back. Several minutes pass and the friend calls back. On this second 911 call, he states that he was not able to reach him. Phone records later showed that he had not even attempted to call him. Instead, he had called a different friend for assistance stating that “If I need you, will you come.” Just tuck that little feather in your hat for later.
The 911 operator patches him through to the Coast Guard who is already on the way. He tells the dispatcher before the patch that he cannot see the boat. The dispatcher tells the caller that the Coast Guard should be there, as in they at least should be visible.
TLDR: The friend is picked up from the jetties by a rescue boat. He is transported to the landing. There is at first a report of two people being rescued, so there is momentary confusion. Did Tyler get rescued as well?
It turned out that he did not. A 911 call from a family member from that night reveals the anguish felt in learning that Tyler Doyle was indeed missing.
Remember that feather? Yeah, go ahead and pluck it out. At the landing, the friend who was with Tyler, now the sole witness of his disappearance, refused medical care even though he had to get in the water in order to be rescued by waiting officials. He denied treatment for potential hypothermia. He stated that he was waiting for his friend. Everyone assumed he meant Tyler, but he did not.
The friend that showed up, the one he had called instead of Tyler, was given possession of the gun and waders that was on his person during the time in question. No explanation was given for why these items were allowed to be removed by a civilian who then later refused to come to the station to give a statement. It was instead written by the lead investigator.
Hours pass, officials arrive and a search is made. It is suspended around 10:00 pm due to unfavorable conditions, stating that they would regroup in the morning.
Over the ensuing days and weeks, they searched over 600 square miles of ocean, all the way up into the Cape Fear River because some duck decoys had been found. Five days into the search, a family led search party found a pair of waders. They contained Tyler’s wallet with identifying information and cash. It is unclear whether the items were wet or dry; there is conflicting information that has been released at the time of this post. After that, the trail went cold. The search was officially called off after 43 days; ruled a boating accident and no foul play was suspected.
And yet there are questions. There are always questions when someone disappears but this case felt different to me so I stayed in tune. I began to research. I gathered my own evidence. I walked the beaches with which I was already so familiar. I had spent my entire life traveling to this area. And then I realize that is why this bothered me so much. I know the area like the back of my hand. The jetties are not some magical wall that occludes visibility. The friend should have been able to see Tyler at all times.
Immediately after Tyler went missing, posts began to circulate. Tyler Doyle Discussion groups began to form. These groups grew to over 100k in some instances. There was infighting in the groups. In the wake of no information being found and day after day, reports that Tyler had not been found, people started to speculate and it got a little crazy: Somebody came and stole somebody’s Daddy. Wild theories emerged. Tyler was in Mexico with a mysterious pop up go-fund me that grew to over 30K and was then cut off due to the speculations and criticism over the web-based charity pot. For a brief time, Tyler was thought to be on the run because he had been charged with attempted murder. On searching records, officials were immediately able to verify that those charges had been dismissed and expunged far prior to the incident in which Tyler went missing.
Family was not heard from during the early months of the search for Tyler and subsequent quest for answers. They started to speak up as their shock wore off and they have questions too.
The reports and statements submitted by the investigating body are sloppy and incomplete at best. However, it should be noted that this law enforcement agency is not designed to investigate foul play or even trained to recognize patterns or critical thinking in criminal situations. They are put in place to deal with land and endangered species preservation in times of accidents, give out gaming tickets and patrol the waterways for potential dangers.
Besides, it was a small Southern town. Everyone knows everyone; who could possibly want to hurt him? Living in the low country though, everything isn't as it seems sometimes. Not everyone has that idyllic white picket life.
As it turns out; things were not perfect in his life. There were echoes of marital strife with a baby on the way in a fairly new marriage. In June, the wife moved out of the home she shared with her missing husband; lawsuits were filed against her by Tyler’s family for allegedly removing items that she shouldn’t have. The case is still ongoing at the time of publishing of this post.
And what of the attempted murder charges which were said to be connected to a Snapchat argument between Tyler’s brother and some unknown individuals who later did not show up for the trial?
Could it have been a revenge killing? Did someone have something against Tyler? The bigger question in my mind was that I know duck hunters. When I ran this case by them, their first question was “why was he going duck hunting in the afternoon.” For myself, the area in question does not seem conducive to duck hunting. I’ve gone down there my whole life and again that’s why this case has always bothered e me.
There are more questions on this case than answers and as of December 5, 2023, SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) joined the case of missing Tyler Doyle. As of December 11, 2023; SLED officials picked up Tyler’s boat from SCDNR.
The family, the media, and thousands of interested parties now await what could be a months-long review of the investigation. Witnesses could be called back in for questioning and further statements could be needed in order to sort out the cloudy timeline of events surrounding the disappearance of this young husband and father to be.
I will be posting more about this case as it develops and filling in information that I have been able to find on my own. It has been nearly 11 months since Tyler went missing and Christmas is approaching. I am sure that his presence is dearly missed. Tyler is described as a thoughtful kind young man by all that knew and loved him.
We can only hope that answers are found soon and that Tyler can be found and laid to rest and his family and friends can gain some semblance of closure.
The question remains: What really happened to Tyler Doyle?
Roxy Jane Slater©
True Crime Journalist / Web Blogger
