Tom and Eileen Lonergan
Encyclopedia
Thomas and Eileen Hains Lonergan, born 1964 and 1970, respectively, were a married couple from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
, United States
, who were mistakenly stranded in the Coral Sea
on January 25, 1998, while SCUBA diving
with a group of divers off of Australia
's Great Barrier Reef
. The boat which had transported the group to the dive site departed from the location before the Lonergans returned from their dive, with none of the vessel's crew or passengers noticing that the two had not come back aboard. The couple was never found and they are presumed to have died at sea. At the time of the incident, the Lonergans had recently completed a three-year tour of duty with the Peace Corps
on the island of Tuvalu
in the Pacific Ocean
and were repeating that work on Fiji
.
Although some of their diving gear was found washed up later on a beach miles away from where they were lost indicating that they drowned, their bodies were never found. Fishermen found a diver's slate (a device used for communicating underwater) and wrote down what it reportedly read: "[Mo]nday Jan 26; 1998 08am. To anyone [who] can help us: We have been abandoned on A[gin]court Reef by MV Outer Edge 25 Jan 98 3pm. Please help us [come] to rescue us before we die. Help!!!"
Another theory suggested that the pair committed suicide
, or murder-suicide
. This theory was bolstered by entries found in both victims' diaries
. Excerpts from Tom Lonergan's personal diary were used to portray a deeply disturbed man who was looking for a "quick and peaceful" death. Eileen's writings had expressed concern for her well-being, given Tom's "death wish". She had openly chosen to stay with Tom Lonergan, no matter the outcome. However, the diary entries were taken out of context, according to Eileen's parents and family members. The family, the coroner Noel Nunan, and the Port Douglas police claim that only pages that would validate the suicide theory were leaked to the press, whereas the majority of the diaries remain unread except by the Coroner, Port Douglas police, and the Hains family.
Eileen’s father, John Hains, later said that he suspects the couple ultimately became dehydrated and disoriented and in the end succumbed to drowning, or sharks.
The coroner dismissed suggestions that the Lonergans had either committed suicide or faked their own disappearance, and formally charged Jack Nairn, skipper of the dive boat, with their unlawful killing
. He was later found to be not guilty, but his company was fined after pleading guilty to negligence.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, who were mistakenly stranded in the Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
on January 25, 1998, while SCUBA diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
with a group of divers off of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
. The boat which had transported the group to the dive site departed from the location before the Lonergans returned from their dive, with none of the vessel's crew or passengers noticing that the two had not come back aboard. The couple was never found and they are presumed to have died at sea. At the time of the incident, the Lonergans had recently completed a three-year tour of duty with the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
on the island of Tuvalu
Tuvalu
Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...
in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and were repeating that work on Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
.
Aftermath
It was not until two days later, on January 27, 1998, that the pair was discovered to be missing after a bag containing their belongings was found on board the dive boat. A huge air and sea search took place over the following three days.Although some of their diving gear was found washed up later on a beach miles away from where they were lost indicating that they drowned, their bodies were never found. Fishermen found a diver's slate (a device used for communicating underwater) and wrote down what it reportedly read: "[Mo]nday Jan 26; 1998 08am. To anyone [who] can help us: We have been abandoned on A[gin]court Reef by MV Outer Edge 25 Jan 98 3pm. Please help us [come] to rescue us before we die. Help!!!"
Suspicions
Several theories were suggested surrounding their disappearance. At the time, it was suggested that the Lonergans might have staged their disappearance. However, the Lonergans' bank accounts were never touched and their insurance policies were not claimed.Another theory suggested that the pair committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, or murder-suicide
Murder-suicide
A murder–suicide is an act in which an individual kills one or more other persons before or at the same time as killing himself or herself. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms, including:...
. This theory was bolstered by entries found in both victims' diaries
Diaries
As a proper noun, Diaries, the plural of diary, can refer to:*Diaries: 1971-1976, an 1981 documentary by Ed Pincus*Diaries 1969–1979: The Python Years, a 2006 book by Michael Palin...
. Excerpts from Tom Lonergan's personal diary were used to portray a deeply disturbed man who was looking for a "quick and peaceful" death. Eileen's writings had expressed concern for her well-being, given Tom's "death wish". She had openly chosen to stay with Tom Lonergan, no matter the outcome. However, the diary entries were taken out of context, according to Eileen's parents and family members. The family, the coroner Noel Nunan, and the Port Douglas police claim that only pages that would validate the suicide theory were leaked to the press, whereas the majority of the diaries remain unread except by the Coroner, Port Douglas police, and the Hains family.
Eileen’s father, John Hains, later said that he suspects the couple ultimately became dehydrated and disoriented and in the end succumbed to drowning, or sharks.
The coroner dismissed suggestions that the Lonergans had either committed suicide or faked their own disappearance, and formally charged Jack Nairn, skipper of the dive boat, with their unlawful killing
Unlawful killing
In English law unlawful killing is a verdict that can be returned by an inquest in England and Wales when someone has been killed by one or several unknown persons. The verdict means that the killing was done without lawful excuse and in breach of criminal law. This includes murder, manslaughter,...
. He was later found to be not guilty, but his company was fined after pleading guilty to negligence.
Media
The 2003 movie Open Water is based on the Lonergans' disappearance. In the film, their names are changed to Daniel Kintner and Susan Watkins.External links
- Undercurrent: "Two Divers Left at Sea - Did the Headcount Fail?" - (Adobe AcrobatAdobe AcrobatAdobe Acrobat is a family of application software developed by Adobe Systems to view, create, manipulate, print and manage files in Portable Document Format . All members of the family, except Adobe Reader , are commercial software, while the latter is available as freeware and can be downloaded...
PDF document) - Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) Tom and Eileen Lonergan
- 13/1/2000 Diver's disappearance renews talk on safety regulations
- Open Water (2003) at the Internet Movie Database