Missing crab fisherman Bryson Fitch not seen for over 2 weeks

BAY CENTER, Wash. — Two weeks ago, a fisherman from Bay Center went missing at sea when the crab boat he was working on began to sink. Since then, Washingtonians have flocked to help his loved ones find the area in Pacific County.

According to her sister Kelsea Broddy, unfortunately, 23-year-old Bryson Fitch has yet to be found.

Broddy told KING 5 Sunday: “Not knowing is the hardest part.

His grandmother, cousins, aunts and uncles can be seen in a recent social media post clutching the salvaged wheel of his sunken crab boat and constantly praying for he recovers.

“We still want to bring him home, no matter what the conditions,” Broddy said. “That’s just our main goal, to find him, so we have the answer.”

Fitch is both a loving husband and a father to three young children.

The boat he was working on, Ethel May, capsized on 5 February due to rough sea conditions. He reached for the life raft, and he and two of his teammates struggled to get on.

“And when Bryson was, you know, trying to get on the raft, a big wave hit him, and it swept him out,” Broddy said.

Two other passengers were taken to safety, but there was no sign of Fitch.

Broddy said: “He couldn’t get on the raft. “The water was pretty rough that day.”

His family has begged the community for help in finding him, including here on KING 5, where we highlight which coastal areas they need more followers.

“After we talked to you guys and another channel, we reached more people, which was very helpful,” Broddy said. “On the dredger, the oyster miners went out every day on the dredger and skied. So that community of people searched every day.”

The family also started a Facebook group called Mang Bryson Home, which now has nearly 3,800 members and some positive posts from beachgoers.

Meanwhile, his sister is grieving and constantly thinking about him.

“As we grew up, we got really close,” Broddy said. “We were off-road biking together, four-wheeling, we struggled a lot. Just a really silly guy.”

Since his disappearance, tens of thousands of dollars have been raised to support his wife Mckenzie and their three children.

Broddy shared how Mckenzie is doing.

“I think she was, you know, grieving and still trying to get through it,” Broddy said. “It’s going to be a long road. You know, it– I don’t think it’s going to be any easier any time soon. But we have a lot of family and our family loves Mckenzie, you know, Just like my brother.”

Meanwhile, the search for any trace of Fitch continues.

Broddy said: “We just hope that he knows how much he is loved.

Broddy said the family is now in need of help finding places that are hard to walk. She’s asking anyone with a drone, boat or plane to join the Bring Bryson Home group on Facebook.