Mystery grows after man vanishes from NC island that is reached only by boat
A man has vanished from North Carolina’s Bald Head Island, igniting a search that has expanded beyond the island to surrounding waters, investigators say.
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Nathaniel Bane, 40, was last seen around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the island’s marina, Bald Head Island police say. That is well before a nor’easter began pounding the state’s barrier islands with 16-foot waves and 50 mph gusts.
The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation has joined the search for Bane, who lives in Harnett County.
“Today, special agents from the SBI’s Coastal District, the SBI’s boat team, and our Human Remains Detection (HRD) K-9s spent hours searching around Bald Head Island, including the areas where Bane was last seen,” the SBI reported Monday, Sept. 28.
“They did not find anything significant to help the investigation.”
The Bald Head Island Department of Public Safety first reported it was searching for Bane on Sept. 25, and later concluded “all evidence suggests he is no longer on the island.”
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“However, we will continue to search for him in the coming days and encourage folks to please call 911 if you see him or notice anything out of the ordinary,” the department wrote in a Facebook post.
Investigators have not said why Bane was visiting Bald Head Island, which is “the southernmost of North Carolina’s cape islands.” It is located at the mouth of the Cape Fear River.
“You can reach this subtropical island only by passenger ferry or private vessel,” the island reports on its website. “Amid the island’s 12,000 acres, you’ll find 10,000 untouched acres of beach, marsh and maritime forest preserves and charming neighborhoods that respect the natural beauty of the surroundings.”
Bald Head Island is about 170 miles southeast of downtown Raleigh.
This story was originally published September 29, 2026 at 7:41 AM with the headline “Mystery grows after man vanishes from NC island that is reached only by boat.”
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