Man's body recovered near site of Nisqually River capsizing

Thurston County sheriff's investigators recovered the body of an adult male in the Nisqually River today.

Sheriff's Sgt. Ken Clark said the body was found about a mile downstream from where a boat flipped, throwing all five passengers into the cold, racing water, on June 12. Clark said the Thurston County Coroner's Office will perform an autopsy to determine whether the body is that of missing boat passenger Bryan Pierce.

Pierce, 9-year-old Cameron McCartney and 5-year-old Sean McCartney vanished after boat driver Vincent Farler caused the accident while driving drunk, sheriff's investigators said. Farler and Erin McCartney, the children's mother, survived the accident.

None of the boaters was wearing a flotation device.

The body of Sean McCartney was found along the river several hundred yards from where the boat flipped.

Rescue crews suspended the search for Pierce and Cameron McCartney. Clark didn't know who found the man's body at 3:30 p.m. today.

Farler, 42, had been drinking in a tavern before launching the boat and was driving it recklessly, spinning and spraying water, according to court documents. He has been charged with three counts of homicide by watercraft.

A preliminary breath test measured Farler's blood-alcohol level at 0.193 percent, more than twice the legal limit for operating a boat, court papers state.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com