THE OCEAN DOESN’T LIE: Tyler Doyle Found 13km From Crash Site As Forensic Bombshells Turn Missing Duck Hunter Case Into Investigation

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — In a staggering turn of events that has sent shockwaves through the coastal Carolinas, the three-year mystery surrounding the disappearance of 22-year-old duck hunter Tyler Doyle has been shattered.

Just 24 hours after the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) received newly surfaced, privately held sonar images, elite dive teams have recovered Doyle’s remains. But instead of bringing closure to a tragic maritime accident, the discovery has opened a dark new chapter: this is no longer a missing persons case, but an active investigation into foul play.

Tyler Doyle missing: Search for South Carolina duck hunter who washed overboard enters 11th day | Fox News

The Discovery in the Deep: 13 Kilometers Away

For over 36 months, the official narrative maintained that Tyler Doyle’s 16-foot jon boat capsized near the treacherous Little River jetties on January 26, 2023, and that his body was swept away by unforgiving 50-degree currents.

However, acting on the precise coordinates extracted from the new sonar data, SLED and recovery teams located Doyle’s body completely outside the original search zone—exactly 13 kilometers south of the jetties, trapped near a deep artificial reef.

The distance alone raised immediate red flags for oceanographers and investigators. Initial tracking models in 2023 insisted a body could not have drifted that far against the prevailing currents within the window of the initial search. The location suggests the body did not drift naturally; it was placed there.

911 calls reveal details of Tyler Doyle's boating accident

Forensic Bombshells: The Staged Scene Exposed

According to high-level law enforcement sources close to the investigation, the preliminary autopsy report has completely dismantled the “boating accident” theory. The forensic findings point to a meticulously staged crime scene:

  • Dry Lungs, No Drowning: Medical examiners reportedly found absolutely no water in Doyle’s lungs. This definitive forensic marker proves that Tyler Doyle was already deceased before he ever entered the Atlantic Ocean.

  • Signs of Severe Struggle: The autopsy revealed significant physical trauma to the back of the skull, alongside defensive fractures on his forearms—injuries entirely inconsistent with a boat capsizing or post-mortem ocean wear.

  • The Sliced Waders: In 2023, Doyle’s heavy waterfowl waders were found drifting miles away, leading authorities to assume he stripped them off to swim. State forensics have now determined that the waders did not slip off; they were deliberately sliced open from behind with a heavy-duty blade, a desperate attempt by an unknown party to make the body sink faster or to mimic a frantic escape.

  • Tyler Doyle family and friends issue defiant plea after search group abandons hunt for missing 22-year-old duck hunter

Shifting Timelines and Ignored Clues

The grim discovery has cast a harsh light on the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), which initially led the case.

In 2023, Bradley Smith of the volunteer rescue group Wings of Hope explicitly warned investigators that they had flagged a “target of interest” on their sonar. Smith claimed at the time that divers were blocked from entering the water that evening due to bureaucratic delays. When crews returned the next day, the target was gone. It is now heavily feared that the target was indeed Doyle, and the delay allowed the ocean—or a perpetrator—to shift the evidence.

With SLED now firmly in control of the case, detectives are aggressively re-examining the entire timeline of January 26, 2023.

“Every single alibi, every piece of recovered gear, and every phone log from that afternoon is being re-evaluated under a criminal lens,” a source inside SLED stated. “We are looking closely at marina CCTV footage from that morning, which shows anomalies in how the boat was prepped and who was in the area.”

A Family’s Pain and Pursuit of Justice

For Tyler Doyle’s family, including his wife who was pregnant at the time of his disappearance, the news is a devastating validation of what they have suspected for years. They have been openly critical of the early handling of the investigation, refusing to let Tyler’s name be forgotten.

While the truth brings an agonizing realization, it also brings a fierce determination to find out who wanted the young father dead, and why a massive web of deception was spun over the Atlantic waters.

As SLED prepares to issue new subpoenas and re-interrogate key witnesses from that fateful hunting trip, the coastal community waits with bated breath. The perfect maritime accident was, in reality, a cold-blooded coverup—and the ocean has finally given up its secrets.

BREAKING: Possible New Evidence Emerges In Disappearance Of South Carolina Duck Hunter Tyler Doyle

More than 3 years after 22-year-old Tyler Doyle vanished near the Little River jetties in South Carolina, new claims have surfaced involving what may be sonar images showing Doyle underwater.
Doyle disappeared on January 26, 2023, after going duck hunting in a 16-foot jon boat near the Little River jetties. According to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), Doyle had dropped off his friend, Christian Holden, on the north jetty before heading back out to scout ducks when the boat reportedly began taking on water and capsized in the Atlantic Ocean.
Authorities said Doyle called his friend stating the boat was sinking. Water temperatures were reportedly around 50 degrees, while air temperatures were approximately 39 degrees that day.
Despite massive search efforts involving numerous agencies, volunteers, rescue groups, friends, and family, Tyler Doyle has never been found.
Now, new information shared with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) reportedly suggests there may be sonar images showing what appears to be Doyle lying on the ocean floor.
According to reports, the images had allegedly been shown to others but were never formally turned over to law enforcement until recently. Doyle’s family reportedly alerted SLED about the possible sonar evidence, though SLED referred questions back to SCDNR, which remains the lead agency investigating the case.
The claims also revive concerns first raised in 2023 by Bradley Smith of the Wisconsin-based rescue group Wings of Hope. Smith previously stated search crews identified a “target of interest” on sonar during one day of the search. He said the image was concerning enough that he provided the sonar information, coordinates, and SD card data to an SCDNR investigator.
According to Smith, divers were not allowed into the water that evening to immediately investigate the target, and when crews later returned, the target had allegedly moved.
The Doyle family has publicly criticized SCDNR’s handling of the investigation over the years. In December 2023, SCDNR announced it had asked SLED to assist with the case.
Tyler Doyle’s waders, wallet, duck decoys, and jon boat were recovered from the ocean, but no trace of Doyle himself has ever been found. Authorities have continued to classify the case as an active missing persons investigation and previously stated they did not suspect foul play.

Has new evidence been discovered in case of missing SC duck hunter Tyler Doyle?

It appears that new evidence has been discovered in the case of Tyler Doyle, a duck hunter who went missing around the Little River jetties more than three years ago. His body has never been found.

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, 2023, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Tyler Doyle, of Loris, has been missing since his boat took on water Jan. 26, 2023, near the jetties in Little River. The then-22-year-old was duck hunting with a friend.

There were numerous agencies, as well as family and friends, that spent many hours and days searching for Doyle. Now, information reportedly has been shared with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which is investigating the case, that there may be a sonar photo of Doyle under the water.

The information was shared on a Facebook page that promotes the finding of Doyle and provides updates on the case. The posting said that the photo of Doyle, which shows him lying on the ocean floor, has been shown to other people; however, the photo was never turned over to law enforcement.

The family of Doyle alerted SLED about the possible photo. However, a spokesperson for SLED referred questions to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the lead investigating agency in the case.

A SCDNR spokesperson was checking into the report.

In an interview with The Sun News in 2023, the director of Wisconsin-based Wings of Hope, one of the rescue groups helping to search for Doyle, said that crews had a “target of interest” during one day of the search.

Bradley Smith said that the target could be seen on sonar. Smith at the time wouldn’t say whether 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. Smith is not the person who currently has the sonar photo that was turned over to law enforcement.

SCDNR wouldn’t allow anyone to dive that evening to see whether it was Doyle. Unfortunately, when they returned, the target had moved, Smith said at the time.

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

Doyle’s case still an active investigation

Doyle remains listed as a missing person and the case is considered an active investigation.

The family has criticized the South Carolina Department of Natural Resource’s handling and investigation of the Doyle case.

In early December 2023, the SCDNR announced that it had asked SLED to join in the investigation.

The 22-year-old’s waders and his wallet, along with duck decoys and his jon boat, were found in the ocean, but not Doyle.

Waders and wallet thought to belong to missing boater Tyler Doyle were found near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. Photo from Facebook. Feb. 1, 2023.

The SCDNR ruled that there was no foul play suspected in the case.

Doyle was hunting at the mouth of the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean when his boat began taking on water and capsized. This occurred after Doyle dropped his friend off on the north jetty and then went to scout out ducks, according to the SCDNR report.

Doyle had called his friend, stating that the boat was taking on water. The water temperature that day was 50 degrees and the air temperature was 39 degrees, according to the SCDNR.

Aside from his waders and wallet, no other physical evidence of Doyle has been discovered.