Questions abound after a Vermont man and his mother were lost at sea after their boat capsized, only for him to be found alone a week later. The FBI and U.S. Coast Guard are still trying to figure out exactly what happened when a boat carrying Nathan Carman and his mother sank in September. ABC’s Linzie Janis interviewed Carman twice trying to get answers, and got nowhere. Carman even stormed off at one point when questioned about his mother Linda. Janis’ interview will air Friday night on 20/20, and ‘Good Morning America’ aired a preview this morning.
A week after going missing, Carman was found by a Chinese freighter, on a life raft with food and water. When he arrived at a dock in Boston, he had no explanation for what happened to his mother. He claimed that he heard strange noises coming from the boat’s engine, and then the vessel took on water so quickly that he couldn’t keep track of what happened to her.
An insurance company investigating the incident reportedly believes that Carman caused the boat to sink by doing something to it. One man told ABC News that he saw Carman drilling two holes into the boat before he and Linda headed out.
Adding to the mystery? Carman is reportedly his mother’s sole heir, and his grandfather, a millionaire, was murdered in 2014. Police suspected Carman in his death, but didn’t have enough evidence to get an arrest warrant.
Janis interviewed Carman about the incident on two separate occasions, and was so baffled by the experience, she wrote an account for ABCNews.com.
Carman was evasive at times, but he has Asperger’s syndrome, according to a family friend, which might explain his demeanor. At one point, Carman can be seen getting up from the interview, saying, “We’re done for this evening, period.” He eventually returned to talk more.
There are plenty of questions remaining in the case. Still, Carman insists, “I love my mother.”
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
