UPDATE 6/21/2022: On Monday, June 20, 2022, at 11:25 a.m., police, fire and rescue personnel responded to Cook Point in Dorchester County, MD, for the water rescue.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources received a call from an off-duty Oxford firefighter who was aboard his private vessel and advised he located a deceased male victim in the water near Cook Point, approximately 5 miles away from the Oxford Station.
Fire and rescue personnel responding to the water rescue assignment were placed in service before their arrival.
Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police responded and recovered Sigmon from the water.
Sigmon’s family posted the following update.
“After 173 days of this unimaginable tragedy, God has brought Ernie home to us. Our hope, faith, and strength has never been so extensively tested. Each and every day, we feel such a tremendous loss deep in our hearts. Ernie is so much more than a father, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, friend, boss, mentor; he was the one who supported so many of us to be the best version of our selves.”
“Just when our hope and patience were waning, God answered our prayers to bring Ernie home. Our entire family is so thankful for your ideas and knowledge which helped us make great strides. We are thankful for your posts, in general, which helped us find the positives to push forward. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and supporting efforts in bringing Ernie home. We will never be able to fully show our gratitude to each and every one of you that helped bring Ernie home. Thank you for the support.”
12/29/2021: On Wednesday, December 29, 2021, at approximately 7:07 p.m., fire and rescue personnel responded to the 40000 block of Waterview Drive in Mechanicsville, for the reported overdue boater.
The Department of Natural Resources requested a water rescue assignment for an overdue boat who was last heard from on Wednesday, December 29, 2021, at 3:12 p.m.
Ernie Sigmon is a 44-year-old white male with brown hair, hazel eyes, and is wearing a black knit hat, black heated under armour jacket, jeans and green boots.
He left around 1:00 p.m., from the 40300 block of Waterview Drive on a gray and white 2020 Open Sportsman 25ft vessel in the area of Plum Point in Prince Frederick area.
Incident command reported Sigmon’s cell phone was pinging approximately one mile off of Dares Beach, Calvert County was requested to start a water rescue assignment around 7:35 p.m.
Calvert County firefighters located the missing vessel around 8:12 p.m., and reported no occupants were found on board. Sigmon’s cell phone was found on board the vessel.
Family members posted the following information.
“This is my missing cousin Ernie Sigmon. Our family is looking for him around the Dares Beach area. Land and water. Please help get the message out if you have family or friends who fish and boat in that area.
If everyone could spare some time and help us search for our cousin Ernie today, Friday, December 31, 2021, please report to the community center across from the Chesapeake Beach Rod and Reel. The command center is set up there. He is the missing boater. We need all the help we can get. Help us bring him home.
If you can’t spare time, please send prayers to bring him home safe. God bless you all
I need your help. My brother went missing off his boat yesterday around 4pm in the Chesapeake Bay. The rescue teams found his boat trolling but he was not in it. No sign of blood. His phone was in boat. Rescue crews from federal, state, and local agencies have been out all morning. However, we need more help. The Coast Guard has set a search pattern for Plum Point to Pax River Naval Base. If you live or are in this area with shore access, please check the shoreline. This area includes Dares Beach, Governors Run, Calvert Beach Run, Flag Harbor, Calvert Cliffs, Cove Point, Driftwood Beach, Chesapeake Ranch, and Pax River NAS.”
The pictured vessel has been found.
