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Disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan

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Tom and Eileen Lonergan
Undated photo of Tom and Eileen Lonergan
Born
Thomas Joseph Lonergan
Eileen Cassidy Hains

(Tom) (1964-12-28)28 December 1964; (Eileen) (1969-03-03)3 March 1969
Louisiana, U.S.
Disappeared25 January 1998 (1998-01-25)
Coral Sea
Known forAbandonment and subsequent disappearance in the Coral Sea

Thomas Joseph Lonergan (born 28 December 1964)[1] and Eileen Cassidy Lonergan (née Hains; born 3 March 1969)[2] were a married American couple who were unintentionally abandoned in the Coral Sea off Australia's northeast coast on 25 January 1998 during a group scuba-diving trip aboard MV Outer Edge. The boat crew did not note their absences until two days later, on 27 January. While search efforts resulted in the discovery of personal effects presumed to be those of the Lonergans, the discoveries did not lead to their rescue. Neither has been found, and both are presumed dead.[3]

The couple's disappearance and deaths resulted in "a crisis of confidence in north Queensland's dive industry" and resulted in tighter mandatory safety regulations for diving boats in Australia.[4] Their disappearances also served as the inspiration for the 2003 film Open Water.

Background

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Thomas Joseph Lonergan and Eileen Hains, both graduates of Louisiana State University,[5] were married in Jefferson, Texas on 24 June 1988.[6]

Disappearance

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On 25 January 1998, the Lonergans were scuba diving with a group at St. Crispin's Reef[7] in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The boat transporting the group to the dive site departed before the Lonergans returned from the water. None of the vessel's crew or passengers noticed that the two had not returned to the boat.[8]

At the time of the incident, the couple had recently completed a two-year tour of duty with the Peace Corps at Funafuti atoll in the small South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu and were repeating that work in Fiji.[5]

Investigations and trial

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Lonergan memorial plaque.

The couple were not discovered to be missing until two days later, on 27 January 1998, after a bag containing their belongings was found onboard the dive boat. A massive air and sea search took place over the following three days.

In February 1998, a women's wetsuit matching Eileen Lonergan's size washed ashore in north Queensland.[5] Upon examination of barnacle growth on the wetsuit, it was determined it had likely been submerged in the ocean since January.[5] It also bore tears along the buttocks and armpit areas, presumed by examiners to have resulted from contact with coral.[5]

Several theories regarding the couple's disappearance were suggested. 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.[9]

Excerpts from Tom Lonergan's diary were found and described a man who was looking for a "quick and peaceful" death. Eileen's writings expressed that she had chosen to stay with Tom, no matter the outcome.[10] However, according to Eileen's parents and family, the diary entries were taken out of context.[11][12] The family, the coroner Noel Nunan, and the Port Douglas police claim that only the 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.[citation needed]

In June 1998, six months after the disappearance, more of the couple's diving gear was found washed ashore on a Port Douglas beach approximately 75 miles (121 km) from where the Lonergans were lost.[9] Among these items were inflatable dive jackets marked with the Lonergans' names, along with their compressed air tanks and one of Eileen's fins.[5] Also recovered was a weathered diver's slate (a device used for communicating underwater) that reportedly read: "Monday 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 1998 3pm. Please help to rescue us before we die. Help!!!"[5]

Eileen's father, John Hains, suspected that the couple ultimately became dehydrated and disoriented and succumbed to drowning or sharks.[12] During the inquest, experts speculated that based on the state of the gear recovered, the couple had likely not experienced an animal attack but rather succumbed to delirium resulting from dehydration, which caused them to remove their diving outfits voluntarily.[5] Without the buoyancy provided by their gear, experts testified the couple would have been unable to tread water for long and would have soon drowned.[5]

The coroner dismissed suggestions that the Lonergans had died by suicide or faked their disappearance and formally charged Geoffrey Ian "Jack" Nairn, skipper of the dive boat, with their unlawful killing.[13] He was later found not guilty,[14] but his company Outer Edge Dive was fined after pleading guilty to negligence and folded.[15] Queensland's government also introduced stiffer regulations, including the requirement that captains and dive masters independently confirm passenger headcounts.[9]

Media

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The American film Open Water (2003) was inspired by the Lonergans' disappearance. The film is set in the Caribbean and involves two divers who are abandoned at sea following an incorrect headcount.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "United States Public Records, 1970-2009" (22 May 2014). Thomas J. Lonergan, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  2. ^ "United States Public Records, 1970-2009" (23 May 2014), Eileen C. Hains, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  3. ^ Squires, Nick (26 May 2008). "Divers who survived night on Great Barrier Reef 'to blame' for ordeal". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  4. ^ Davison, Ben, ed. (2005). "Tom and Eileen Lonergan". Undercurrent. 20. Larkspur, California: Elephant Socks Pub: 13. ISSN 1095-1555.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Fickling, David (23 July 2004). "The cruel sea". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017.
  6. ^ "Texas Marriages, 1966-2010" (6 December 2014). Thomas J. Lonergan and Eileen C. Hains, 24 June 1988; citing Jefferson, Texas, United States, certificate number 062898, Vital Statistics Unit, Texas Department of State Health Services, Austin. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  7. ^ McGeogh, Paul (30 January 1998). "Checks not made on couple who dived alone". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  8. ^ Bateman, Daniel (25 January 2018). "Anniversary of the disappearance of US couple Tom and Eileen Lonergan". Cairns Post. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Daley, Jason (1 October 2003). "Watery grave". Outside. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015.
  10. ^ Foggo, Daniel (7 August 2004). "A mystery resurfaces". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) - (c/o the Age).
  11. ^ Chipperfield, Mark (26 April 1998). "Coral reef couple 'faked dive deaths'". The London Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 January 2003.
  12. ^ a b Horwitz, Tony (1 August 2004). "Dying at sea, probably". The New York Times.
  13. ^ "Missing divers 'unlawfully killed'". news.bbc.co.uk. 9 October 1998. The skipper of an Australian diving boat has been charged with manslaughter for accidentally leaving an American couple stranded on the Great Barrier Reef.
  14. ^ McFadyen, Michael. "Death of Two American Divers - Thomas and Eileen Lonergan". michaelmcfadyensscuba.info.
  15. ^ Sebastian, Abin Tom (21 March 2024). "Eileen and Tom Lonergan, The Couple Who Shared a Watery Grave". Morbid Kuriosity. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  16. ^ Giles, Darrell (23 May 2004). "Hollywood's 'Open Water' film earns rave reviews". cdnn.info. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008.
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