Missing Tobago fishermen: Family turns to DNA after bodies found in SVG waters 

By Admin. Updated 1:02 p.m., Saturday, October 24, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4). 

The family of a Tobago fisherman who has been missing for more than two weeks is turning to DNA testing for answers, after two decomposed male bodies were found in the waters of St Vincent and the Grenadines this month.

David Mclean of Lowlands and his friend Kester Alexander of Buccoo have not been seen since they left Scarborough on October 9 to go fishing, according to Trinidad and Tobago’s Guardian Media. The two men set out aboard the vessel Predator and failed to return home that afternoon. Neither the men nor the boat has been seen since.

Guardian Media reports that Mclean’s relatives have contacted police in St Vincent and will submit DNA samples for testing.

The two bodies were discovered eight days apart.

On October 13, police confirmed that the body of an unidentified man had been found in waters off Cane Garden at around 11:25 a.m. Guardian Media reports that the post-mortem could not determine a cause of death because the body was so badly decomposed, but DNA was extracted from bone marrow. 

Initial reports suggest that the first body may not be connected to the missing fishermen. Police in St Vincent told the Trinidad outlet that no one had come forward to report a missing person or to identify the body.

Then, at about 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21, the partially decomposed body of an adult male was found along Stubbs Beach. One News SVG reported that a fisherman made the discovery near Stubbs Bay and Diamond.

In a press release on Thursday, the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) said a District Medical Officer visited the scene and pronounced the man dead. A post-mortem examination is expected to establish the cause of death. Officers from the Stubbs Police Station are investigating.

Neither body has been publicly identified, and police have not linked either one to the missing Tobago men.

Back in Tobago, the waiting has been hard on both families. Mclean’s father, David Mclean Snr, a boat operator, began searching near the vessel’s last known GPS location, southwest of Tobago, as soon as the men failed to return. He kept going until 2 a.m. on October 10. The Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard joined the search, and volunteers flew private planes over the area, but nothing was found.

Mclean’s sister told Guardian Media last week that the search in local waters had been called off, because currents would have carried the vessel beyond Trinidad and Tobago’s maritime boundaries if it had stalled.

Alexander, a father of three, is also still missing. Relatives of both men say they are desperate for answers.

The RSVGPF is asking anyone who has a relative or acquaintance who has been reported missing, or whose whereabouts are unknown, to contact the Stubbs Police Station at 784-458-4210 or the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at 784-456-1810. Anyone with information that may help the investigation can also call the police at 784-457-1211.

Investigations are continuing.

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