The Five Atlanta Fishermen
The "Five Atlanta Fishermen" were all friends from Atlanta. They were Lee Roy Holloway, 49; Lonnie Merritt, 49; John Sterling, 46; Marvin Walker, 66; and Robert Walker, 59.
Case summary
Incident
Late in the afternoon on November 29, 1974, five men – Robert Walker, Marvin Walker (no relation to Robert), Lee Roy Holloway, Lonnie Merritt, and John Sterling – left Atlanta by car on a fishing trip. The men arrived in Pensacola early the next morning. According to information provided to investigators and to representatives of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the men stopped at a grocery store and at a bait shop on Highway 29 in Pensacola to buy supplies, and allegedly got into an argument with the bait shop owner regarding the price of bait. The men purchased supplies and possibly returned a few minutes later to apologize; the bait shop owner may have called law enforcement in response. Late in the day on November 30, the U.S. Coast Guard contacted Marvin Walker’s son, Marvin Walker, Jr., stating that his father’s boat had been located partially submerged in the Santa Rosa Sound, near Bob Sikes Bridge. The boat’s key was in the ignition, the throttle in neutral. Officials found gasoline cans and life vests still on the boat, but no occupants. The anchor line appeared to be cut. Coast Guard and Escambia County officials located a camper at the launch site near the bridge; the camper was filled with supplies, including food, bait, and fishing equipment.
Officials and volunteers launched a search for the five missing men, but after several days had not located signs of any of the five men. Relatives of the five men contacted officials of the Atlanta office of the SCLC, which publicly called for a more thorough investigation into the disappearances. Family members stated to investigators and to the SCLC that the incident was baffling, as all five men were experienced fishermen, had fished in the area regularly over the years, and would have taken proper precautions if venturing out onto the water to fish.
On December 2, the Coast Guard announced that it was halting the search for the men, although Escambia County Search and Rescue would continue the search with volunteers. On December 8, SCLC President Dr. Ralph David Abernathy announced he would travel to Pensacola to question potential witnesses and investigate. Subsequently, on December 9, rescue workers discovered the body of Marvin Walker. On December 12, the bodies of James Walker and John Sterling were found, and on December 13, rescue workers recovered the bodies of Lonnie Merritt and Lee Roy Holloway. All five men were found in the waters of Santa Rosa Sound. Officials performed autopsies and determined that the men died from drowning and ruled the cause to be a boating accident.
Aftermath
On December 13 and 17, 1974, the SCLC’s communications director, Tyrone Brooks, along with relatives of several of the victims, went to the FBI’s Atlanta office to request an investigation into the deaths of the five men. Relatives expressed skepticism that this was a boating accident, and provided information regarding the longtime fishing experience of the men, particularly in that area. Brooks held a press conference outside the FBI office, drawing media attention to the suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident. Abernathy also cast doubt upon the officials conducting the investigation, stating that during his trip to Pensacola he viewed the bodies of two of the victims, which looked “normal,” he said – a surprise considering they had been submerged in “salty, fishy waters” for a week. Later, officials informed the families that the bodies were decayed and should not be viewed. Additionally, the SCLC said it had information that the men did not in fact launch the boat, but were taken by several men (potentially law enforcement) to a nearby tower or castle structure and were being held against their will. The SCLC emphasized that the bodies of the men were located only after officials publicly stated their intention to visit Pensacola, an area known for its racism and prejudice against African Americans.
On December 11, Abernathy sent a mailgram to the director of the FBI calling for an investigation into the incident. The FBI forwarded the mailgram to the Department of Justice’s Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division on December 17, noting that the Bureau was declining to investigate further unless specifically directed by the Department. Abernathy also submitted reports to Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter and to Florida Governor Reubin Askew requesting additional investigation. It’s unknown if either state investigated.
Case summaries are compiled from information contained in different sources, including, but not limited to, investigative records, arrest reports, court filings, census records, birth and death certificates, transcripts, and press releases. In many cases, the records contain contradictory assertions.