Marine Corps Lance Corporal Ivan R. Garcia, Marine Corps Lance Corporal Merax C. Dockery, and Marine Corps Lance Corporal Tanner J. Kaltenberg were found unresponsive in Hampstead, North Carolina. Autopsies revealed that their cause of death was consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning, as reported by authorities.
Wrongful death lawsuits for families of five passengers killed in an ENC plane crash were settled early in 2023. The plane crashed on February 13, 2022, near Drum Inlet, on the way back from a hunting trip. The settlement was reached on behalf of the families of deceased passengers Noah Lee Styron, 16; Michael Daily Shepherd, 15; Jacob Nolan Taylor, 17; Jonathan Kole McInnis, 16; and Stephanie Fulcher, 42, mother of McInnis.
A live Gervais’ Beaked Whale was reported by beachgoers to the N.C. Marine Mammal Stranding Network on October 30, 2023, in Emerald Isle. A necropsy revealed that the whale had ingested a plastic balloon, leading to its death.
The Greenville community mourned the loss of a beloved family physician, Dr. Roger McMurray, who died while trying to help a driver who was involved in an incident on I-87 in Wake County.
Two men, participating in a hot air balloon race, had to make an emergency landing in Jacksonville Wednesday afternoon. The pilots were two Frenchmen who were participating in a national hot air balloon race known as the Gordon Bennett Cup, which started in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Smoke from the Croatan National Fire affected communities as far north as Grifton. The fire burned more than 32,000 acres of forest before finally being contained.
The article contains a glimpse of the various incidents and life events that took place in 2023 in Eastern North Carolina, providing insight into the drama, tragedy, and even the quirky moments that unfolded throughout the year.