Police ID man believed to be missing swimmer off Narragansett

February 19, 2016 9:20 am

By Samantha Fenlon

sfenlon@abc6.com

Emergency crews in Narragansett called off their search and recovery mission for the day for an endangered, missing man spotted in the water Thursday in the late afternoon.

Police say the man is believed to be 61-year-old Peter E. Butler.

Police say a person using Butler’s passport checked out of the Best Western in Warwick around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, wearing a blue coat, and red hat, and carrying a rolling suitcase and blue travel bag. Around 11 a.m., he was seen entering an airport taxi before being dropped off by the taxi on Hazard Avenue in Narragansett.

Butler was first spotted by two juveniles around 4 p.m. Thursday, about 150 feet off the coast, wearing what looked like a red hat and black hood. The girls reported him to police around 6 p.m., sparking a search effort. A suitcase was also found in the area containing a passport with Butler’s name on it.

Acting Police Chief Sean Corrigan says they are treating it as a recovery mission, as Butler has been missing for more than 24 hours.

The Coast Guard and State Police called off their search Friday around 3:30 p.m. after searching for hours in the frigid waters of Hazard Avenue. Crews performed two searches Thursday night.

"They’ve had divers in the water they’ve been using side sonar. The visibility hasn’t been too good," said Corrigan.

Chief Corrigan also said they are not sure if it was an accident, "The particular fact pattern right here, we’re not sure this was an accident. It may have been intentional."

The area, where a 14-year-old drowned last summer while snorkeling, is known to be dangerous for swimming.

"This is a well known area a hazardous area it is very rocky slippery there’s rough surf. It’s a popular area for snorkels fisherman surf casters as well as spear fishing and scuba divers," said Fire Chief Scott Partington.

Anyone with any information regarding Butler should contact the Narragansett Police Department immediately at (401) 789-1091.