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The Coast Guard’s suspicions proved to be correct. The passports of William and Patty Kamerer were found in the galley. The log also showed they had been sailing the Bahamas “from north to south for several days.” The last entry was for the 25th of July, only a day before the Shark II came upon the scene. This was written in the hand of Patty Kamerer. The log also confirmed they left Fort Meyers, Florida, on the 28th of April.
Although the beaches of Pipe Cay were scoured for the body and the “blue wrapping,” nothing was ever sighted. The police boat Exuma finally towed the Kalia III to Nassau. The case was closed.
Soon international pressure came to bear on the Bahamanian government concerning an alleged cover-up. It seemed absurd that the body should suddenly vanish overnight. On October 28, 1980, they finally released a report, the whole purpose of which seemed designed to exonerate the police for losing the body. The report, from which the information on this web page was taken, was couched in the language of officialdom, and entitled “Report on the Investigation of the disappearance of William and Patricia Kamerer on Yacht Kalia III— foul play is suspected.”
But the report was hardly that on an investigation. It merely placed some facts about what was seen without once attempting to connect or explain any clues or draw any deduction from them. No insights were offered and only one lame deduction was made: that it may have been drug smuggling, although it quickly added “but there is no hard evidence that it is.” By setting down these facts, the report, without doubt, inadvertently fingers the police’s gross inefficiency
It took five whole days for Nassau to even get the message. Lundy and Pratt may have been correct in not bringing the rotting corpse to Staniel Cay that night, but there was enough time for them to go look and examine the conditions and body. By October the boat had been in police hands nearly 3 months, yet “apparent” blood stains and “apparent” bullet holes had not been confirmed, though it would have been easy to do so. There is no mention of the trajectory of the bullets. There is even no mention if the sails of the Kalia III were set, though this is an excellent indication of its last direction under control; nor if the gas tank was empty, which would plainly indicate the vessel was under motor, thus possibly coming into an anchorage; nor if the throttle was engaged, a conclusive indication the yacht was under motor.
The police scenario was that the Kalia III ventured into the Pipe Cay area, and there they may have stumbled upon a drug smuggling exchange (commonly done along the Exumas’ isolated chain). They are then shot. This does not really explain why the assailants would shoot-and-run, leaving the vessel as proof something happened. Locals know how long it takes the police to get out there. The drug smugglers would not have been in a hurry. Bullet holes “apparently” were found in a tin on the right side, but no where does it say which side they entered. We must assume the port, since “apparent” bullet holes were found on the port side. These bullets must have sailed over the deck and missed Bill Kamerer as he stood nearby at the helm.
I would suggest this scenario: 1) On the night of July 25, 1980, William and Patty Kamerer were shot by persons unknown for unknown reasons. Patty Kamerer was knocked over by the blast of one of the gun shots. Bill Kamerer, piloting the yacht, was fatally wounded (possibly without knowing it). This explains the “apparent” bullet holes in the boat and the “apparent” blood at the stern deck, where he must have been at the wheel. 2) The vessel carrying the assailants immediately left, explaining why Kamerer was not finished off. To explain the other clues, the following hypothetical chain of events is offered. 3) William Kamerer, wounded, went into the galley to get flares, thus explaining the blood in the galley. The first thing on his mind was to get his wife who was out in the water in the darkness (probably already dead). Thus there had been no MAYDAY. He went upon deck and fired off the flares in quick succession, not only as an SOS but to illuminate the sea to spot Patty. He was not dressed at the time of the incident, so he wrapped something “blue” around his waist (or wrapped himself in it when they saw another boat). He climbed into the dinghy to get Patty, taking the flare gun with him to fire off more. In this state he died, the arm with the flare gun hanging over the side where his hand let it fall to the ocean bottom.
This can explain the known facts— specifically, why Patty Kamerer was not found and why, most curiously, a body was found in the dinghy and not on the sailboat. It also accounts for the location of blood, the spent flares, a missing flare gun, and, why, in the shock of the moment Kamerer sent no SOS but boarded the dinghy . . . there only to die.
This is, of course, only an explanation of the clues, not of the incident, which is, some 20 years later, still shrouded in mystery.
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