3 Dead, 2 Missing After Family's Alaska Journey

They were in a boat in stormy seas
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 2, 2023 12:37 PM CDT
3 Dead, 2 Missing After Family's Alaska Journey
This undated photo shows Robert Solis, left, and partner Brandi Tyau. Brandi's body was found, while Solis remains missing after an Alaska boating disaster.   (James Solis via AP)

An Alaska fishing adventure became a nightmare for a family of eight when disaster struck one of the two boats they chartered over the Memorial Day weekend, leaving three people dead and two more missing despite a desperate search over hundreds of square miles of ocean, per the AP. The tragedy tore the Tyau family apart: Sisters Danielle Agcaoili, 53, and Brandi Tyau, 56, are dead, as is Danielle's husband Maury, 57. Brandi's longtime partner, Robert Solis, 61, is missing, as is boat captain Morgan Robidou, 32. All were in a boat that was found partially submerged off southeast Alaska. Authorities suspended a search for the missing pair on Monday and have no plans to resume it.

The women's parents, older brother, and sister-in-law were on the other charter boat as part of a three-day trip to a destination fishery known for king salmon and groundfish. The sisters and their sister-in-law didn’t like fishing but joined the vacation to spend more time with a family that was usually split between Hawaii and Los Angeles. “It was just supposed to be a simple family get-together for eight of us, since we haven’t been together in the same spot for so long,” Michael Tyau, the older brother, told the AP on Thursday. The Tyau siblings—Michael, Brandi, and Danielle—grew up fishing in Hawaii with their parents. Michael Tyau said his sisters hated being cold and wet but would endure it for their water-loving parents and later their partners.

The boats the Tyau clan chartered, named the Pockets and the Awakin, set out Friday amid rough conditions. Michael Tyau said his sisters and wife spent the day’s voyage seasick in the two boats’ cabins and skipped Saturday’s trip to recover on land. When Sunday dawned, their last vacation day before Monday flights home to California and Hawaii, the women rejoined the boats. The Pockets returned to the lodge Sunday evening, but the family began worrying when the other boat failed to arrive. Brandi Tyau and Solis leave behind one son together, as well as Solis’ three sons from a previous relationship. The Agcaoilis have two children, one of whom just graduated from high school.

(More Alaska stories.)

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