The fishing line snapped — and so did he.
A Florida boater tried to kill his wife and dump her body at sea after being set off by a snapped line during a fishing trip — but the bloodied victim clung to the back of the boat and was dragged to shore alive, according to cops.
Douglas Naeher, 60, and his unidentified wife of three years took their boat out 33 miles off the coast of Bean Point on Sunday.
The husband appeared terse and angry when they pushed off from their private dock at their Holmes Beach pad, the victim told the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, according to court documents.
While casting off from a “bean bag chair” on the back of the 30-foot Sterling boat, the 60-year-old’s fishing line snapped — sending him into a violent, malevolent rage.
To avoid being attacked, the victim jumped in the water — holding a rope tied to the vessel and using a pool noodle to float, the court documents stated.
Naeher untied the rope and zoomed off, seemingly leaving his wife to die at sea — but returned to get her after seeing another boat in the distance, the victim told cops.
When she climbed back on board, Naeher repeatedly punched her in the head and then stomped on her head with both feet multiple times when she crumpled to the deck, she said.
The battered wife said she played dead to avoid further wrath, but Naeher continued his assault — dragging her by the hair to the rear of the boat where he attempted to strangle and drown her in the water, court docs said.
“I’m going to kill you,” Naeher allegedly shouted while throttling her neck with both hands and submerging her head.
He reportedly fled the scene, believing he had left her behind in the deep ocean. But the woman refused to accept the watery grave and never gave up her fight for survival.
The unidentified woman interlocked her feet around a ladder attached to the rear of the vessel, allowing her to trail the boat while struggling for breath, she told cops.
Eventually, she was able to climb back onto the boat using the ladder when Naeher made an unexpected stop.
However, the heartless hubby noticed her battered body, punched and stomped on her some more, and then pushed her back overboard, according to court docs.
For a second time, the woman clung to the back of the boat, this time mooring herself by the ankle using a line dangling off the back of the ship.
The 60-year-old proceeded to shore and docked his boat, unaware that he had dragged his bloodied intended victim back to their Holmes Beach home.
The intrepid survivor was able to pull herself onboard a third time while the boat docked and swiftly fled from her husband’s clutches and towards the Holmes Beach Police Department.
She was treated at Blake Hospital for injuries, including a right eye swollen completely shut, multiple contusions, bruises on her neck and arms, and a severe concussion.
Naeher was arrested on Monday and is charged with attempted first-degree murder, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE (7233) or text START to 88788.
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