Adrift and isolated in the immense ocean, a young female turns out to be pivotal in solving a nautical puzzle. Share ArticleShare ArticleFacebookXLinkedInRedditBlueskyEmailCopy LinkLink copiedBookmarkComments’I survived alone at sea on raft aged 11 so I could identify my family’s killer’
In the month of November in the year 1961, Terry Jo Duperrault, an eleven-year-old, was discovered drifting by herself in the Caribbean Sea.
With skin burned by the sun, lacking hydration, and barely responsive, she held tightly to a small raft crafted from cork – the lone survivor of a terrible slaughter that had taken the lives of her whole family.
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The Duperraults were a cherished family from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Arthur, a prosperous eye doctor, had dedicated years to saving for what he called a “once-in-a-lifetime holiday” – a sailing journey across the Bahamas to get away from another freezing winter in the north.
Accompanied by his wife Jean, their children Brian, 14, Terry Jo, 11, and young René, seven, he envisioned a week filled with sunlight, underwater diving, and quality family moments onboard a hired yacht named Bluebelle.
The boat – a 60-foot double-masted ketch – was commanded by Julian Harvey, age 44, a distinguished veteran from World War II and a seasoned sailor. Accompanying him was his sixth wife, Mary Dene, a former flight attendant who aspired to be a writer.
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The arrangement appeared perfect, as Harvey was knowledgeable about the waters, and the Duperraults were enthusiastic about unwinding. Setting sail from Fort Lauderdale, Bluebelle made its way to the islands of Bimini and Sandy Point, where the family gathered seashells and souvenirs.
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The local people remembered them as happy and kind, and Arthur even mentioned to a British district commissioner that this had been “a once-in-a-lifetime holiday,” adding, “we’ll return before the holiday season.”
That very night, the 12th of November in 1961, as the boat steered towards Florida, the family enjoyed a meal together, and subsequently, Terry Jo descended below deck to rest while the others stayed on the top deck. Later on, she was awakened by shouts – her brother calling out for their father, with loud thumps coming from above her.
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Upon ascending the staircase to investigate, she noticed her mother and brother lying still on the ground, with blood gathering around them. It was at that moment that Julian Harvey emerged. He forced her back down below, yelling, “Go back down there!” Overwhelmed with fear, she obeyed. Shortly after, the boat began to take on water.
Harvey came back down, this time carrying a rifle. Their eyes met. Without a word, he turned around and went back up. Shortly after, Terry Jo detected hammering sounds – which later turned out to be the noise of the man intentionally sinking his own vessel.
Knowing that she would drown if she remained, the young girl went upstairs, noting that Harvey had disappeared. The yacht was already going down, and Harvey had just gotten into a dinghy, abandoning her.
She noticed a small cork buoyant device connected to the railing, detached it, tossed it into the water, and floated away right as the Bluebelle disappeared beneath the waves. For the subsequent 82 hours, Terry Jo drifted alone in the open ocean.
The cork float was merely five feet in length, just large enough for her to sit upright, and she lacked food, water, or any form of protection. The tropical sun intensely heated her skin, salt aggravated her injuries, and sharks circled below. Several planes and boats passed by, but none spotted the tiny white float against the reflection of the water.
She later remembered observing fish nibbling at her feet and imagining that she saw the lights of an airport landing strip, with her parents awaiting her at the end. She leaped – and awoke in the ocean, holding onto the float. “Thankfully, I hadn’t let go,” she expressed years later. “I struggled to get back on.”
Then, finally, deliverance arrived. A Greek cargo ship, the Captain Theo, noticed what seemed to be a hat floating on the water. Upon closer inspection with binoculars, they realized it was a small float carrying a young fair-haired girl, feebly waving.
Second officer Nicolaos Spachidakis instructed a lifeboat to be lowered, and crew member Evangelos Kantzilas helped the child onto the ship. Terry Jo managed to mumble her name before losing consciousness.
As doctors in Miami worked to save her, another survivor of the Bluebelle had already become headline news. Julian Harvey had been saved three days prior, claiming that the yacht had been hit by a sudden storm that broke its masts and initiated a fire. He stated that he’d been thrown into the sea – alone except for the body of young René, whom he’d unsuccessfully tried to revive.
Initially, authorities accepted his story, but when news surfaced that an 11-year-old had lived, the account started to fall apart. Harvey was in Miami undergoing questioning when he found out that Terry Jo was alive and healing.
A few hours later, he checked into a motel using a fake name and took his own life, leaving behind a brief message: “I became excessively tired and anxious. I couldn’t endure it any longer.”
Once Terry Jo had recovered sufficiently to speak, she informed investigators about what truly transpired. There had been no storm, no fire. The ocean had been calm. Her parents and siblings had been murdered, and Harvey had purposefully sunk the ship.
The inquiry conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard uncovered a dark history. Harvey, once hailed as a celebrated pilot, had a record of questionable insurance claims behind him. Years earlier, his second wife and mother-in-law had died when his car drove off a bridge, but he had escaped unharmed and collected the insurance compensation. Several of his boats had also sunk under dubious circumstances.
Investigators deduced that Harvey had intended to murder his sixth wife, Mary Dene, for her $20,000 double-indemnity life insurance policy – which would double in value if her death appeared to be accidental. However, when the Duperrault family unintentionally witnessed or interfered, Harvey murdered them as well, ensuring that there were no witnesses.
In the media, Terry Jo became recognized as “The Sea Waif” and “The Sea Orphan.” Following her recovery, she went to reside with her aunt and uncle in Wisconsin. She refused to give up the clothes she’d been saved in.
For many years, she refrained from speaking publicly about her ordeal. It wasn’t until 2010 that she completely shared her story, releasing Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean with psychologist Richard Logan.
“I’ve always been convinced that I was saved for a purpose,” she revealed to NBC decades later. “If even one person finds healing from a life tragedy as a result of reading my story, my journey will have been worthwhile.”