Esther M Hackleman

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

Three men who went missing on a duck hunt were found dead after a search by the Coast Guard and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Kendrick said.

The men launched their 17-foot green, flat-bottomed boat off County Road 312 on the east side of Carancahua Bay about 4 a.m. Friday, according to a news release. Starett Burke of Wallisville, Spencer Hall of Mont Belvieu, and Chris Ruckman of Dayton were reported missing after Ruckman's girlfriend contacted Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi on Friday night after the men had not responded since their expected 11 a.m. return.

Two of the bodies were found about 1 p.m. Saturday in the water, and the third body was found about 4 p.m. underneath the boat.

It was not known whether the men were wearing life jackets.