1 year after Carolina Beach boater went missing, family's focus remains on rescue

As many thaw turkeys and pick out Christmas trees with their families, Mary Kay Anderson is readying herself for a difficult holiday season.

Nov. 22 marks one year since her son, Carolina Beach resident Joseph Johnson, went missing.

“It’s hard, but I know Joe would feel sad if he knew I was feeling sad,” she said. “He would feel sad if I withdrew from the family and didn't enjoy the holidays. I have to put the ‘what ifs’ aside. I just want to keep going on with life.”

It was a clear, 70-degree day when Johnson headed out to do some sea fishing. He was wearing shorts and a sweatshirt.

Timeline:From last sighting of Carolina Beach missing boater to boat recovery near Portugal

Expert:How did a boat belonging to a missing Carolina Beach man cross the Atlantic Ocean?

Past reporting:‘Every day counts’: Family of missing Carolina Beach boater hopeful he’ll be found alive

A year later, Anderson and law enforcement know little about his disappearance. Still, Anderson and her family are holding out hope that he’ll be found alive.

What we know

Johnson was last seen on video surveillance footage leaving Federal Point Yacht Club in Carolina Beach on his 2006 Clearwater fishing boat around 11 a.m. on Nov. 22, 2021. Johnson lived on his larger boat, docked at Federal Point.

He was 44 years old at the time.

Calls to Johnson’s cell phone from family members during the week of Thanksgiving went unanswered and messages weren’t returned, but Anderson said with the busyness of the holiday, no one thought much of it.

When Johnson hadn’t arrived back at Federal Point five days later for prearranged fishing plans with his friend Stan Cook, Cook contacted law enforcement and reported him missing.

More:Carolina Beach missing boater: Here's the gear he may have had on board

According to the Carolina Beach Police Department, cell phone records showed activity from Johnson's phone off the coast of Bald Head Island at 5:17 p.m. on Nov. 22, 2021.Johnson had been known to frequently fish in the Frying Pan Shoals area off Bald Head.

Johnson is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who served for 24 years with tours in Afghanistan and South America, Anderson said. Johnson was raised in Minnesota, where much of his family still resides.

With his background, Anderson believes Johnson has been trained to survive in dangerous conditions and elements.

A U.S. Coast Guard search in November 2021 yielded no new clues. The U.S. Coast Guard conducted a search for Johnson using five vessels and covering nearly 7,500 square miles over 53 hours after he was reported missing. The search was suspended when no new information was found.

Seven months later, investigators caught a big break in the case.

Coated in a thick layer of barnacles and algae, Johnson’s boat washed ashore in June, thousands of miles from Carolina Beach. The boat was discovered nearly 3,000 miles away when it hit land at São Jorge Island in the Azores archipelago near Portugal.

Law enforcement searched the boat for anything that could point to Johnson’s location. They determined the boat capsized a while before it was discovered, likely months before, due to the growth of algae and barnacles on the vessel.

Otherwise, Anderson said, they didn’t discover much, but law enforcement did rule out foul play when the boat didn’t show signs of bullet holes or other man-made violence.

Now, the case has cooled off again. And Johnson’s family is back to waiting and hoping. While search efforts have yielded no sign of Johnson, his family hasn’t lost hope of finding him alive.

Keeping hope

As November approached, Anderson said she had to take time to prepare for the anniversary of Johnson’s disappearance.

“I just don't want to waver,” she said. “I don't want to relinquish any hope that I have taken all these many months to build up.”

Anderson said Johnson remains on the hearts and minds of his brothers and other family members in Wilmington and Minnesota.

For Anderson, it’s “God’s peace” that keeps her hopeful for a miraculous rescue for her son. It came in the form of a Bible verse: Psalms 41:1-3, which says in part, “the Lord protects him and keeps him alive.”

“That’s really helping me to stay standing,” she said. “Otherwise I would have jumped off the deep end a long time ago.”

The Carolina Beach Police Department described Johnson as a 6-2, 220-pound white male with strawberry blonde hair. Anyone with information regarding Johnson’s whereabouts is asked to contact 911 or the department directly at 910-458-2540.

Jamey Cross covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at jbcross@gannett.com or message her on Twitter @jameybcross.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: One year later: What we know about the Carolina Beach missing boater