Exclusive: Tyler Doyle’s family believes wrongdoing in the case. See newly released video

The video is both chilling and heartbreaking. It shows the moment when Shay Boyd and her family found Tyler Doyle’s waders in the Atlantic Ocean.

That was in January – five days after Doyle disappeared while duck hunting near the jetties in Little River with a friend.

Since that discovery near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, including his wallet and driver’s license, there have been no other physical clues to Doyle’s whereabouts.

It has left Doyle’s family, who have spent the last year searching for the 22-year-old, with few options other than to wait and hope.

The family, led by Boyd, Doyle’s aunt, have criticized the South Carolina Department of Natural Resource’s handling and investigation of the Doyle case.

That includes why some evidence wasn’t gathered, such as the waders and weapon belonging to Christian Holden, the friend who was with Doyle that day, and why a medical bill for Doyle from a North Carolina hospital sent to Doyle’s grandmother, was not investigated, Boyd said.

They’ve also written letters to Gov. Henry McMasters’ office and asked for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to get involved in the case.

In early December, the SCDNR announced that it had asked SLED to join in the investigation of Doyle after receiving various tips from the public about possible sightings of Doyle.

SLED’s involvement comes nearly a year after Doyle’s disappearance and nine months after the SCDNR ruled that no foul play is suspected in the case of the Loris man.

For Boyd, SLED’s involvement is welcomed news. But she doesn’t plan on ending her own investigation and asking questions of law enforcement.

“This is not going to stop. A year going by will not stop us from getting answers,” Boyd said. “If he did drown, we accept that. But so far there has been no sign of anything from Tyler except for the waders that we found. … We would’ve expected something to come ashore by now, or for his body to have come up. We have a lot of questions.

“Our hearts are shattered. We just don’t want another family to go through this.”

‘There were only two people out there’

Sha Boyd opens up her iPad and begins thumbing through videos and notes stored in a computer folder. It’s the week after Thanksgiving and she is sitting in her Conway plumbing business that she operates with her husband.

The holiday was one more special day that Boyd and her family have celebrated without Doyle. Another was Doyle’s September birthday. He would’ve been 23.

Boyd has come to terms that she will probably never see Doyle again. At this point, it’s about getting answers and making sure that every piece of evidence and lead has been examined.

“It may seem odd to some people, ‘Oh why is the aunt doing all the fighting for Tyler,’ but nobody else is,” the mother of two said. “My mom and dad aren’t capable. … So I took it on. I’ve been fighting ever since.”

Boyd was a teenager when Doyle was born. Her parents would often care for Doyle and his younger brother, Reed. Because of that, Doyle was more like a brother to her than a nephew.

Boyd has documented everything regarding her nephew’s disappearance. That includes videos of searches, phone records, recorded conversations and any other information she could find.

She has become a one-woman private investigator of sorts.

“They owe us at least a proper investigation,” Boyd said of the SCDNR. “They don’t understand how much he means to us.”

Boyd has made several allegations against the SCDNR and the case’s lead investigator, Ronnie Floyd.

When asked about the allegations and questions regarding pieces of evidence, SCDNR spokesperson Greg Lucas said Dec. 14 that he could not make any statements until SLED finishes reviewing the case.

Renée Wunderlich, SLED’s director of public information, said Dec. 6 by email that any questions regarding the case should be directed to SCDNR, as they are the lead agency in the investigation.

Boyd’s questioning of the investigation includes if Christian Holden was allowed to give his waders and gun to a friend before SCDNR investigated it as she believes it happened. Boyd also claims that Holden called the friend before he called 911 to report that Doyle was in distress, and that his phone records might not match Doyle’s. Holden told investigators that he was able to talk to Doyle before the boat sank, according to DNR reports.

“There were only two people out there, him and Tyler. And Tyler can’t speak for himself,” Boyd said. “What are the chances, ‘cause this happens all the time, people get shot accidentally… what if he accidentally shot Tyler and he’s scared to say that’s what happened.”

Holden has not been charged with any crime by law enforcement. However, according to Boyd, he has yet to speak to the family about what happened on that day. A message left for Holden Dec. 14 has not been returned.

There is also the question of why additional law enforcement wasn’t brought into the case earlier. Boyd said she contacted SLED, as well as Horry County Police, for assistance but was told that they could not help since SCDNR is the lead agency.

The family was able to get Doyle on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, a national public clearinghouse for missing people. But even that only happened after Boyd hounded lead investigator Floyd until he “caved,” Boyd said.

‘You only get one chance to get it right’

Doyle went missing after duck hunting in the Atlantic Ocean in a 16-foot jon boat with friend Christian Holden at the Little River jetties around 4 p.m. on Jan. 26, according to the SCDNR.

There were numerous agencies, as well as family and friends, that spent many hours and days searching for Doyle.

One of those rescue groups was Wisconsin-based Wings of Hope Search and Rescue. It was this group that may have had the last location of Doyle, according to Boyd.

Bradley Smith, the agency’s director, said Dec. 14 that he has nothing against the SCDNR, but he believes the family was let down by the procedures that were put in place by investigators.

“We had a target of interest, we had it on sonar,” Smith said about one day of the search. “It looked like a target of interest.”

Smith said even the dogs, which are trained cadaver dogs, took an interest in the same area.

Smith wouldn’t say if he thought it was Doyle, but it was enough of a concern that he gave the information to SCDNR.

Smith told SCDNR about the image, showing the investigator the sonar. “We were told we weren’t allowed to dive on any of the targets,” Smith said.

Smith said because it was late in the evening, Floyd decided that it wasn’t safe to dive and that they would return to the location the next day. “With a lot of discontent, that’s what we did,” Smith said.

Unfortunately, when they returned, the target had moved, Smith said.

“You only get one chance to get it right, and we missed that chance,” Smith said. “Our hands were tied.”

Smith also said that his SD card that had the sonar information, including images and the location coordinates, was turned over to Floyd, who never filed it as evidence.

In another instance, an operator of a shrimp boat offered to use his nets to drag the ocean bottom the day Doyle went missing. However, SCDNR denied the request because it would violate state shrimping laws, according to Boyd.

“We worked with some amazing police officers and DNR officers,” Smith said. “They were risking their lives … to try to find Tyler. They were hindered by the processes that were put in place.”

Family wants state laws changed for hunters

Doyle’s wife, Lakelyn, has never spoken to the media about her husband. She was pregnant at the time of his disappearance, and later gave birth to a baby girl.

Lakelyn Doyle moved out of the house where she and Tyler lived. It belonged to his grandparents and was located on their property, Boyd said.

Since she moved out, Boyd and her parents have not had any contact with Lakelyn or the baby.

Boyd said she knows that Lakelyn has to move on, but it is still painful.

A phone number for Lakelyn Doyle could not be located.

Boyd said she beats herself up everyday because she co-signed for the jon boat that Doyle was on the day he went missing.

The days that turned into months of searching for Tyler have taken a toll on her and her family.

She hopes that South Carolina laws will be changed regarding missing persons. In addition, the family would like for the state to implement a GPS locator bracelet that would be required for people to buy and wear when they apply for a hunting, boating or fishing license. It would allow authorities to locate someone if they go missing.

Doyle’s case has captivated people across the country. There are several Facebook groups dedicated to discussions about the case. Some of those are critical of the family, while others pose theories of their own about what may have happened to Doyle.

Boyd instead tries to focus on the supporters.

“We had an outpouring of love from people we didn’t even know,” Boyd said. “It was just the most endearing feeling ever to know that he was that loved and people were willing to go out” and search.

Boyd doesn’t want to forget the day that Doyle went missing, but “that’s not something I want to celebrate.”

“There is a huge hole in our hearts,” Boyd says, crying. “Our family is never going to be the same.”