Twenty-three-year-old Mason Hart was discovered dead, floatingface-up in ankle-deep waters of Scotland Cay, The Bahamas, on July 29. The recentTexas Tech grad’s body was found nude about nine miles from where he wasstaying in Marsh Harbour, according to a local news source in Texas. Hiswallet, clothes and the RIB he was driving at the time are reportedly stillmissing.
Hart was spending his first post-college summer working on afamily friend’s 60-foot sportfisher, TuckerTales. David Tucker, who gave Hart the job, told local Texas news source KHOU-TVthat Hart took the tender out to go bar-hopping the day before.
Hart had headed to Snappas restaurant on Marsh Harbour forlunch and cocktails before heading to Nippers Bar and Grill on Guana Cay, wherehis final credit card transaction was around 7:30 p.m, according to the Hart family’sblog. After a visit to a thirdrestaurant, the blog states, Hart was seen getting into the boat with anotherperson.
“He may have given somebody a ride back to Marsh Harbor, andthat person may have been a predator,” Tucker said to KHOU-TV.
“If we find the dingy, that’s going to be a big piece tothis puzzle,” says Daniel Tucker, David’s brother, in the blog. “Becausewhoever’s got that dingy has to know what happened to Mason….”
The case has been deemed a suspicious death, but DavidTucker told KHOU-TV he thinks it will be changing to a homicide shortly.
An autopsy was scheduled for August 4, but Hart’s familyalso called for an independent examination and toxicology test to see if Harthad been drugged, reports Boat International Media.
Hart’s family launched a GoFundMe page to help cover thecosts of the second autopsy as well as to help bring Hart’s body home.
Hart’s family and friends have been attempting to receivehelp from the U.S. Embassy in The Bahamas, but it was closed last week due tothe Bahamian Emancipation Day. As of this week, they were still struggling toget the embassy to cooperate, according to their blog.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for recovery of the missingtender, a white Novurania RIB with a Honda outboard engine.
http://www.khou.com/story/news/local/2015/08/03/houston-man-found-dead-in-bahamas/31089153/
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